There has been a hiccup in the search for a permanent schools superintendent in Cambridge, but this time the result was to move a goalpost closer.
Since the ousting of superintendent Victoria Greer in May, parents in the district have called for clarity as the search for a permanent replacement has been delayed. Chief operating officer David Murphy took over as Interim superintendent July 1, with an appointment duration between 90 days to one year.
Little was determined at an Oct. 15 meeting that included a presentation on process by Massachusetts Association of School Committees executive director Glenn Koocher, but members reasserted December 2025 as the deadline to select a candidate.
Amid calls for answers at Tuesday’s meeting of the School Committee, Mayor E. Denise Simmons encouraged members to pace themselves. “This is just one of many meetings that we’re going to have, so I don’t want to feel precious that we have to walk out of this meeting with something,” Simmons said.
The lack of urgency dissipated when Caroline Turk, Simmons’ education liaison who served as deputy superintendent for 21 years, brought to light a previously overlooked rule of the School Committee.
Section 17 of the rulebook asserts that no recommendations or appointments are to be made after the date of the biennial election of the committee, which will fall on Nov. 4, 2025 – a month before the committee planned to settle on a decision.
Members of the committee leaped to determine a new timeline, with member José Luis Rojas Villarreal offering up a plan that has the position filled by mid-October based on getting a list of finalists Sept. 10 from a deadline for applications at the end of August. The finalists would be interviewed over a week, leaving a month for decision-making. Member Elizabeth Hudson pushed back, describing it as “needlessly late” because it lacks a buffer for unexpected delays.
“I would advocate strongly for not shoving it all into seven weeks when we have a year,” she said, instead she recommended that they start the process now so there’s time to talk with a candidate, “go visit their district, to dig into something that they say, to look into something that comes up in a background check.”
Member Richard Harding agreed that taking advantage of the time they have is best practice. “This is the biggest job probably in the state in terms of profile for a superintendency, and everybody knows how the last one ended,” Harding said.
Questioning the worst case-scenario, member Rachel Weinstein asked if they were able to change the rule that forces a hire before election day. “We can change the rules at any time we want, that’s just the reality of what it is,” said Harding, but Simmons was quick to discourage the action, which in her words “would not look good.”
The negotiated resignation of Greer and backlash on the district promised to inform hiring practices in this round. Members of the committee have emphasized the importance of constituent involvement in the process, as well as the need for a clear, public timeline. “We are going to have a rabid public that’s looking for us to take care of this,” Harding said.
The committee plans a special meeting Nov. 12 to confirm the search timeline and decide on strategies for public engagement, including surveys and focus groups; the whole of the committee agreed it was the necessary next step. The following week, at a Nov. 19 regular meeting of the committee, they expect to announce that their search has begun officially.
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