8 June, 2012
At its Regular School Committee meeting last night, the School Committee voted unanimously to accept Dr. Landman’s resignation as Superintendent of Schools. As a result, it has become necessary for the leadership in the school district to formulate a recruiting plan that ensures a seamless transition and provides the appropriate leadership necessary to move all district initiatives forward.
The School Committee voted unanimously to appoint Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Mary Ann DeMello as Acting Superintendent of Schools July 1 through July 31st or until an interim Superintendent is hired. DeMello was Assistant Superintendent for both the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District and Weymouth School District prior to her arrival here in January. She began her career as a teacher in Rockland, moving up to serve as the district Curriculum Coordinator. We appreciate her willingness to serve in this new capacity to keep our district moving forward.
The School Committee has asked Kim Pulnik, Director of Human Resources, to advertise the position of Interim Superintendent effective today through the end of the month. The screening of applications will occur in early July. Interviews for the position of Interim Superintendent will likely begin the second week in July. The anticipated start date for new Interim Superintendent is August 1, 2012.
According to the terms of the district’s agreement with NESDEC, the search firm used to facilitate the Superintendent search process, the School Committee will be able to use the consulting services of NESDEC for the search for the next Superintendent free of charge. The recommended timeline for beginning the recruiting and search process for a new Superintendent of Schools would begin in the summer or early fall, with the goal of having the selected candidate assume the role on July 1, 2013.
The school district will incur the usual, nominal vacancy posting costs for both the Interim Superintendent and Superintendent positions, which will be funded from the regular Human Resources classified advertising budget line. NESDEC will, per the terms of the original agreement, not charge us for consultation services for the Superintendent search, and has also agreed to assist us in identifying potential candidates for the Interim Superintendent, as outlined above. The district will be responsible for any expenses NESDEC incurs on its behalf, for the Superintendent search, such as postings and mailings. These expenses are minor, and can be absorbed within the Human Resources department budget.
As with the last search, NESDEC will plan for collecting and incorporating citizen and staff input into the qualities, years of service and professional experiences and skill sets that a successful candidate would need to present in order to be considered a potential match for our needs. Careful attention to this step - collecting and valuing input - will be crucial.
The School Committee believes that this plan will support the quality leadership required to sustain and advance the initiatives of the district, and continue to provide our students with the superb educational opportunities our community has come to expect.
