By Patrick Adrian
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Springfield School Board members expressed a unified desire to make their upcoming superintendent search a transparent and timely process with a strong incorporation of community involvement during a preliminary meeting this week with prospective search consultants.
The Springfield School Board met on Tuesday with Susan Holson and David S. Wolk from the Vermont School Board Association (VSBA), an educational support organization, regarding their assistive services to seek a new superintendent to replace Zach McLaughlin.
In January, the school board voted 3-2 not to extend the contract of McLaughlin, who has served as Springfield’s superintendent for eight years. The decision received considerable backlash from the community, particularly educators in the district.
After listening to the community the board altered its decision by offering McLaughlin a one-year contract, which would allot more time to a transition and maintain stability through the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
Springfield School Board Chair Troy Palmer said the purpose of Tuesday’s special meeting was to get a headstart on the community discussion and understanding of the search process and the timelines.
“We really want to involve the community to the best we can and do it in a timely and thoughtful manner to arrive at the best candidate that we can,” Palmer said.
The meeting also served as an interview of VSBA and Wolk, who is being considered to oversee the search process in Springfield.
Wolk, a contractor with 47 years of experience in education, is a former Vermont education commissioner and superintendent who also served as president of Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont, until 2017.
Wolk told the board that, if hired, he would encourage “unbridled candor” throughout the process.
“I don’t know anything that has transpired [in the board’s decision to remove McLaughlin],” Wolk said. “But it would be helpful for me to learn about that.”
Wolk said he does not know McLaughlin well but commended the superintendent for staying with the district through this next year of transition as well as his participation in this special meeting.
“This is a unique circumstance that a superintendent is classy enough to guide you through COVID and through next year,” Wolk said.
Wolk said he would want to interview the board as a group and individual members, McLaughlin, and other school officials in order to understand the backstory pertaining to the decision to change.
“Moving forward I think it would be best to reduce the awkwardness by being honest, telling the truth and telling it well,” Wolk said.
Focus groups and meetings with educators, families, and community stakeholders will help to develop a profile of the position and the community’s priorities and values regarding a school leader, according to Wolk.
Some school officials spoke candidly about their concerns.
Springfield School Board member Jeanine Garfield said she remains opposed to the board’s decision to replace McLaughlin.
“People will say that I am partial [to McLaughlin],” Garfield said. “I am partial to excellence and success . . . We have the cream of the crop sitting in our administrative office.”
Garfield, citing the district’s mixed success in its 12 superintendents during the last 50 years, expressed worry that the district “will crash and burn” in its attempt to change from McLaughlin’s leadership and direction.
Palmer said that desire for a successful transition is why the school board is beginning the process “as soon as possible” and why McLaughlin agreed to stay through next school year.
Holson warned the school board that there may be less superintendents looking for new positions this year due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic and other related uncertainties.
“Superintendents have made a commitment to their districts and they feel their work isn’t done,” Holson said. “People are being really selective about the opportunities available and they are not moving lightheartedly right now.”
That fact should not deter the school board, according to Holson. Rather, the school board should set its expectations to finding “a great pool of candidates” rather than a large pool.
In regard to starting “as soon as possible,” Holson said that some work, such as interviews with school board members, could begin this summer. However, community forums should wait until the fall when families, students and faculty are available.
Additionally the best time to post vacancies for superintendent positions is in December or January, Holson said.
Once the position is posted the recruitment process takes about six to eight weeks, according to Wolk. The entire process, including the screening of applicants, narrowing the selection and interviewing the finalists, could enable the board to announce a hire by early March, according to Holson.
Christine Pereira, principal at Elm Hill School, urged that the school board and search facilitator try to keep staff as informed as possible throughout the process, as the decision to remove McLaughlin has adversely impacted faculty and staff morale and uncertainty about the district’s future course.
“I think it would really go a long way to build some of the bridges,” Pereira said. ‘The perception is that, while I wouldn’t say burned, but damaged or in need of construction, so in [keeping staff informed] we really can come together.”
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