I am writing in response to Willie Wickman’s “My Two Cents” column in the May 15 edition concerning the contract extension given to School Superintendent Thomas Jefferson. My concern is not so much with Dr. Jefferson’s evaluation or the contract extension itself but with the apparent rush to grant the contract extension at the final meeting for the current School Committee. Ms. Wickman indicates that it was “appropriate” for the extension to be granted by the same committee members with whom Dr. Jefferson had worked, but frankly I fail to see the connection. If Dr. Jefferson’s performance was so compelling I would expect a new School Committee, made up of a majority of the existing committee members, to grant the extension after a reasonable period of discussion and review. If Ms. Wickman was concerned that the new committee would not grant the extension it seems to me that would argue even more forcefully for due deliberation and process before granting the extension.
Brian Schimpf
Littleton Road
