Wanted: Comment on superintendent, February 11
Maine School Management Association representatives Elaine Tomaszewski, left, and Bob Hasson speak to the Wiscasset School Committee on February 6, in the Wiscasset High School library. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
Maine School Management Association representatives Elaine Tomaszewski, left, and Bob Hasson speak to the Wiscasset School Committee on February 6, in the Wiscasset High School library. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
The Wiscasset School Committee has set a Tuesday, Feb. 11, meeting to hear what the town is looking for in a superintendent.
Committee members said they want input from parents and other residents, along with school administrators and staff. The meeting runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Wiscasset High School.
The panel decided to hold the meeting after hearing February 6 from representatives of the Maine School Management Association. Whether or not to involve the community is one of many decisions the committee will have to make as it embarks on its search for a permanent hire, the representatives said.
The association could help with the search for $150 an hour, said Associate Executive Director Elaine M. Tomaszewski. The role could be heavy or light, she said.
Tomaszewski and the association's deputy executive director Bob Hasson offered some tips on the search process. The pools have shrunk in recent years, so a school department needs to show candidates why they should want the job, Hasson said.
“It's very, very important to understand that people are going to have a lot of questions about why it is (they) should come here,” Hasson said.
“It's a lovely community here, and you know why somebody should want to come here,” Tomaszewski added.
The two also stressed the importance of finding a superintendent who is a good match for students and the department. Superintendents these days tend to stay only about three years, but Wiscasset's could be an exception if there's a good fit, they said.
People don't leave a job; people leave people, Tomaszewski said.
Committee members said the public input they get Tuesday will help them build a profile of the superintendent. They plan to start that work on Thursday, Feb. 13.
The committee has not decided if it will hire the association for any part of the search.
Interim superintendent, and former Wiscasset superintendent, Wayne Dorr has said it's too early to know if he wants to be considered for the permanent job. Committee members are aiming to make the hire by the time the department opens July 1.
Tuesday's meeting will be the second time in recent weeks that residents have been tapped for their thoughts on a major hire. Selectmen put on a similar meeting January 16, to hear what qualities people want in the next town manager.
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