By GLYNIS HART
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CLAREMONT —“I think we have a lot of different space here to create a lot of different types of programs,” said new superintendent of Claremont and Unity schools, Michael Tempesta.
Tempesta invited the public to come talk to him about their concerns and ideas for improvement Monday and will be holding a series of such meetings for the next two months. It’s all part of his plan. Specifically, the new superintendent presented a plan — which can be found on the SAU 6 website — for his entry into the school district.
He intends to interview every school board member, get out and about and talk to as many people, from the bus drivers to administrators to union members to parents, as he can. He will be asking people about their jobs and about what could be done better in the schools, and establishing expectations for his own job.
Tempesta was superintendent of Saugus schools, then became president of a collaborative (made up of superintendents) focused on optimizing opportunities for students with special needs. Stepping into the role of a superintendent again, he said: “What I missed a little bit, I missed the comprehensive nature of school districts: the sports programs, the theater programs, all those types of things, seeing kids in communities come together. I even missed things I didn’t think I would, like negotiations.”
Audience members shared their concerns about the district:
“Claremont has become like a boot camp, a training ground,” said Jon Young. “It’s a fantastic training ground, but I don’t think it should be a training ground. Something should be done to keep teachers in the district.
“It’s a complex multilayered issue,” Young continued, “but I think the first thing and the most concerning is the pay scale. I was a para in Hanover and I was bringing home a bigger paycheck than my wife [who teaches in Claremont] did and I was doing 85% less of the work than she did. I’m a teacher now, she’s been teaching a lot longer than I have and my district pays a lot better. It’s so frustrating to see. There’s a lot of good teachers in town. If that next contract could be done to try to give them some kind of incentive to stay pay-wise, I think Claremont could change from being a training ground for Lebanon and Hanover, and you could really start to close a lot of those gaps.”
“I think pay’s an issue across the country,” said Brenda Baker, who has substituted at the high school. “I think the biggest thing is morale has gone down the tubes. So many people have left education in this town. I know pay’s an issue, but people don’t start looking if they’re happy.”
Baker, whose sister taught at the high school, and subbed there herself, said she is concerned about “the dumbing down of education.”
Jim Baker taught science at the middle school for 36 years. He was concerned about the loss of four teachers, two in science and two in geography/history, several years ago. “They never got those positions back. And obviously it’s because of the budget. But it was like destroying the school.”
Baker said the loss of classroom hours in science handicapped the kids.
“You simply couldn’t do that in Massachusetts; there are state standards and requirements. That’s new to me, that you have a core content area that you have an exit exam on, that it could simply be cut down,” said Tempesta. “So I’ll be looking into that. I can’t promise anything now but it’s really concerning to me. Particularly in middle school, the hands-on years, that you’re not actively engaging in science is concerning to me.”
Asked about strategic planning, Tempesta said: “My experience with that is extensive. I was a principal for 15 years and a superintendent for six. I also was an adjunct for a couple colleges teaching strategic planning to graduate students … That’s what this is part of, the entry plan that I put online. Those are the bases … to do a needs assessment and see what’s out there, talk to hundreds of people, look at data and kind of expand the goals that already exist and create the new ones to go forward.
“They did a really nice strategic planning in the district two years ago,” said Tempesta. “It was extensive, and they really didn’t get to it with the turmoil in the district last year. Obviously, we’re going to start with those things, but you still do it all over; strategic plans are really only good for three years. I’ve found it’s successful to have fewer goals. Fewer substantial goals that you do well.”
Tempesta said his first task is to fill the four positions in administration that are empty and then get to the budget.
“There’s a lot I have to learn, and a lot of listening I have to do. Good, bad or indifferent I want to get it direct from folks in the community.”
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