I am concerned with the rushed decision by the School Committee to hire an interim principal for the Hildreth Elementary School (HES) with seemingly little thought or discussion. I e-mailed all members before their meeting last night requesting that they reconsider their decision made at a special meeting convened last Friday morning, which allowed limited input from the community. To no avail.
At last night’s meeting Chairman Keith Cheveralls announced that the School Committee’s decision to hire an interim principal was final. Since Keith’s wife, Maryanne Cheveralls, reports directly to the HES principal, I find his participation in any talks about hiring a new principal a conflict of interest. He publicly pronounced that he would not participate in the exit interview of Ms. Banios due to his wife’s employment at the HES and yet he is participating in talks about hiring her replacement.
If you hire an outside interim principal for one year, the person will need six to nine months to meet the staff, understand the culture, appreciate the expectations of the community, and grasp the challenges of the budget for fiscal 2012, which will start to be developed in the fall. An interim will be a placeholder who will not have the HES experience to continue to push forward the important curricular work that addresses the needs of all learners, a key goal of the system. Difficult decisions are not likely to be tackled by someone who has no vested interest in the system.
The School Committee barely discussed Dr. Jefferson’s proposal to assume the role of HES principal with the assistance of Gretchen Henry and save approximately $75,000. He is very aware of the work at HES and would offer leadership so the school can move forward with initiatives as opposed to being stagnant for a year or possibly losing ground.
I urge School Committee members to support Dr. Jefferson’s recommendation. As our superintendent, he is responsible for hiring the principal. The School Committee would best serve the schools by listening to his knowledge and expertise instead of micromanaging a process for which they are not responsible.
Willie Wickman
Willow Road
