Lincoln-Sudbury may scuttle its superintendent search
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The Lincoln-Sudbury District School Committee may suspend the search for a new superintendent/principal and hire an internal candidate as an interim leader for the high school.
Members say the effort will provide stability at a time when the district is facing a $1.1 million budget shortfall and the possible reorganization of the school district.
A subcommittee of the school board identified Housemaster Scott Carpenter as the best choice to lead the school for one or two years.
“In light of all of these unknowns I think there is some real value in stability,” said board member Mark Collins. “It became clear to me that this would have to be an internal interim. Only an interim who had an intimate knowledge of the school could hit the ground running.”
The school committee will interview Carpenter at its Jan. 27 meeting in open session and encourage parents to attend.
Carpenter applied for the permanent position after Superintendent/Principal John Ritchie announced his retirement on Oct. 28.
“You need someone with a steady hand, who knows the system well who could be an excellent leader,” said board Vice Chairman Radha Gareya.
Carpenter is the only administrator who has principal’s certification and the required three years of experience to qualify for the position, said teacher association representative Sandy Crawford.
An internal candidate, said Collins, would also alleviate the anxieties of the staff given the prospect of layoffs if the towns do not pass an override in the spring and potential structural changes in the district.
The enthusiasm for an interim leader is a surprise development from the committee which stated its intention to continue its search for a permanent replacement for Ritchie as recently as two weeks ago.
In December the school committee hired consultant Jacqueline Roy of J.A. Roy Associates to conduct a nation-wide search for a new superintendent/principal for the 1640-student regional high school.
The day before Roy’s contract was announced on Dec. 16, the Sudbury Budget Review Task Force released a report that stated the 55-year old school district could realize $1 million in savings by consolidating the regional high school and the Sudbury Public Schools under one superintendent in a Superintendency Union.
On Jan. 13 a subcommittee of Collins, Gareya and School Committee Chairman Patty Mostue was formed after officials from the towns of Lincoln and Sudbury urged the school board to consider the benefits of an interim principal/superintendent in light of scheduled discussions between the two towns on the recommendations of the task force.
“We looked at the candidates and what was needed in the school at this time,” said Mostue. “We decided to look internally in the school and Scott Carpenter is someone who knows the school and would be sensitive to the issues facing the school.”
Roy’s contract includes a termination agreement.
“We can finish the contract and be billed for her services to date,” said Judy Belliveau, L-S director of finance.