Facing continued criticism even from within its own ranks for a superintendent search process that has seemed secretive and scattered, School Committee members moved Tuesday toward releasing more information about how it arrived at four finalists for the position to start work in the Cambridge Public Schools’ coming academic year.
A call for openness about which three members of the committee helped choose finalists and how came from member Elizabeth Hudson, who said that two weeks ago she’d been called by two appalled people from other school districts contacted as part of reference checks for a Cambridge superintendent finalist. They asked her: “What on earth are you thinking?”
“Part of respecting the integrity of the process is understanding what it is,” Hudson said. Having heard reactions to that one candidate, “I am, frankly, alarmed that nobody can speak to how our four finalists were chosen.”
Answering that was added to a list of work yet to be done for when a look at the process ahead is released to the public. There is still room for change om what that future process entails, officials said.
After getting more than 20 applications for the job in June and early July, consultant The Equity Process decided which people met the committee’s provided minimum standards. Those were moved forward as semifinalists for July 15-16 interviews, said mayor E. Denise Simmons, who serves as head of the School Committee.
“Letters of regret” to all but the four finalists went out Tuesday, and reference checks are ongoing for completion Friday and announcement of the finalists Monday, said Simmons and her educational liaison, Carolyn Turk. Turk is a former Cambridge Public Schools deputy superintendent.
Listening sessions to gather additional feedback from constituent groups – with questions written in advance, so each candidate gets the same ones and the answers can be compared – are expected to follow: for Cambridge Education Association members, Aug. 20; the Cambridge Families of Color Coalition, Aug. 21; and school council members and caregiver designees, Aug. 22, all at 6 p.m. but with room for at least a fourth session to be set.
Finalists will get site visits Sept. 15, followed by public interviews between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 and a selection by the committee on Oct. 6, Simmons said.
A choice must be made before Nov. 4 elections.
More access to candidates
Member Rachel Weinstein urged a way for the finalists to interact with students, caregivers and educators (and for recognition that public interviews must end early enough Oct. 1 for Jewish community members to celebrate the Yom Kippur holiday at sundown). Member Richard Harding added that one or more forums should be open broadly, as those run by The Equity Process early on drew fewer than 500 people, and “I can imagine having a listening session where you have 1,500 CEA members.”
There should also be meetings with the people who will be a superintendent’s “natural partners,” Harding said, citing “the Ellen Semonoffs, the Derrick Neals, the Christine Elows, like that level of potential peer.” (These are assistant city manager for human services, the head of Cambridge public health and police commissioner, respectively.) Member David Weinstein (no relation to Rachel Weinstein) noted that there are educators who are not CEA members – including principals – who also needed time with their possible boss.
All ideas were accepted for consideration, with the narrowing of students as likely meaning high schoolers, as well as a call from Hudson and David Weinstein to present information about how the process had gotten so far, as well as where it is going. “The schedule that we’re building out being posted, even as some elements aren’t yet finalized, will be important,” David Weinstein said, “Probably in the same place, list out what’s happened to date … it will be really helpful to just have as much of that as we can out there for people to see.”
Public comment
The calls for openness followed public comment that excoriated the committee for the process so far – criticisms that aren’t new.
“In terms of meaningful engagement with regard to the CEA and to caregivers, it’s been nonexistent,” said Chris Montero, the new head of the labor group, in a summation that suggested similar appraisals by his predecessor had little effect. “The CEA has been asked to participate and educators have been asked to participate in ways that are performative at best. We have been invited to town halls that were scheduled during our work hours … These are not meaningful attempts to involve people. It’s clear that boxes are just meaning to be checked.”
Jessica Goetz, a parent candidate for School Committee in November elections, said current committee members had missed their own deadlines and failed to communicate: “I have worked hard to follow this process, and I honestly have no idea how the candidates are being evaluated by whom, and what qualities you are looking for in a superintendent.” Members also heard harsh words from another potential colleague – only five of six incumbents are running – in Anne Coburn. “My request is for you to tell us what’s going on,” Coburn said. “Please do better.”
Need for secrecy
Some of the secrecy is demanded by a need to protect the superintendent candidates, who may not be open with their current employers about looking for work in Cambridge and won’t want their relationships at home ruined if a candidacy doesn’t work out, Turk said.
Yet the secrecy extended to not knowing which members served on a 14-member vetting committee, the criteria for their decision-making or when decisions were made. “I know that people who participated in those finalist interviews were placed under an NDA,” Hudson said, referring to a legal nondisclosure agreement, but she also knew community members were told by The Equity Process that it was unknown “how votes would be counted and tallied and how the final determination would be made.”
“Who knows when that list was established? And can anybody speak to how? Was it a simple vote of all of the 17 members who are part of that panel? Were School Committee members’ votes weighted more heavily? Is there anybody who was there who can speak to this?” Hudson said, explaining then that whatever happened led to selection of a finalist who shocked people contacted for references.
There could be no answer, Simmons said, because members of the selection panel needed to respect the integrity of the process.
Finding a middle ground
Rachel Weinstein said there was a reasonable middle ground. “No one is asking for names or who ranked what. What would be very helpful from The Equity Process is a summary of the process with no candidate information – what are the decisions that this body made, and how,” she said, “and then who took that data and went away with it and said, ‘Here are the four.’ I think that’s a reasonable place to land.”
Simmons agreed, saying the information could be presented at a special meeting or posted to the district website. “We’ll figure out which is the best way,” Simmons said.
The School Committee terminated the contract of former superintendent Victoria Greer last spring, a decision anticipated after months of complaints of “botched hiring practices” and “mistreatment” of district staff. David Murphy, former chief operating officer of the district, has served as interim superintendent since and is considered a candidate for the permanent job.
A stronger
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Murphy is doing a solid job and the permanent role should be his for the asking.
Mark my word. David Murphy will be the next superintendent.
Our students can’t read and do math at grade level, and at the same time we have what can only be called a circus in choosing a superintendent.
David Murphy should NOT be the incoming superintendant. That stunt he pulled to give an extra weekend off before Christmas – leaving caregivers in the lurch was just so blatant and disrespectful of the students and families he was appointed to serve on an “interim” basis. He showed his true colors and “interim” is all that he should be. We need someone with classroom experience, who has been a primary parent, and can get math up to standards. Not Dave Murphy.