More towns looking inward as they seek school chiefs
Like many other school districts statewide, North Andover will have a new superintendent by the time fall rolls around. But unlike some of those districts, it will not be among those competing for the same talent pool.
North Andover is among the growing number of school districts to fill top vacancies by promoting from within and avoiding large-scale searches. Of the school districts north of Boston in various stages of superintendent searches, two - North Andover and Hamilton-Wenham Regional - have explored promoting in-house talent. Stiff competition for the same group of qualified superintendents among school districts is the driving force behind the shift, according to the organizations representing the state’s school committees and superintendents.
“School committees are becoming conscious to the fact that the pool is becoming very narrow, and they’re thinking about those things,’’ said Michael Gilbert, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. “When you have someone who has the skill set that you’re looking for and knows the culture and needs of your district, it becomes about that continuity moving forward in the organization.’’
As soon as North Andover superintendent Christopher Hottel told the School Committee he would retire at the end of this academic year, committee members knew the best successor would be assistant superintendent Kevin Hutchinson, who is set to take over the top job on July 1.
“I think it’s wonderful. Think of the stock market - uncertainty is not a good thing,’’ said Christine Allen, School Committee chairwoman. “It makes people more comfortable when they know who their leaders are. In an economic sense, we don’t have to pay a search consultant, so we don’t have to go through all those machinations. We can work on other things, like educating. We’re lucky because the most important position is the superintendent, no doubt about it.’’
Of the 65 superintendent vacancies in the state last year, 15 were filled from within, said Thomas Scott, executive director at the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
“There are a lot of people still pursuing large-scale searches, but the trend is still for assistant superintendents staying within the district,’’ Scott said. “More and more [school] committees realize if you go out in the market, the pool isn’t deep in terms of quality. . . . We would advise people, if you have somebody inside who is high-quality, you’d be crazy to go and do an outside search.’’
In Hamilton-Wenham, the superintendent search committee is in the midst of a month-long evaluation and public interview process of interim superintendent Peter Gray, who took over the district last year after the controversial departure of former superintendent Raleigh Buchanan amid School Committee criticism over his performance less than a year into his three-year contract.
A decision on whether to hire Gray or perform an outside search could come by the end of the month, said Gilbert, whose association is assisting the search committee.
Since last July, there have been 35 superintendent openings statewide, and that number is expected to go up to at least 50 as sitting superintendents switch from one school district to another, Scott said. Although it is too soon to deem it a trend, Scott said the number of superintendent vacancies this school year is expected to be lower than the 65 last year, and 58 in 2010.
Regionally, retirements have resulted in current superintendent searches in Melrose, Peabody, Billerica, Rockport, and Pentucket Regional, which encompasses Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury.
In Melrose, the School Committee is conducting its own search instead of hiring a consultant, which can cost up to $25,000, said Margaret Driscoll, a committee member and new chairwoman of a 13-member search committee. So far, the School Committee has spent close to $4,000 out of its $6,300 search budget, and will be taking applications through Feb. 17, Driscoll said. The search committee will also hold a second public forum to gather the community’s thoughts on what they want in a new superintendent. The forum will be on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School.
“We feel that Melrose is in a very exciting place right now. We have made a lot of progress and made significant partnerships with out city,’’ she said, adding that finalists could be named by the end of next month. “It creates an outstanding foundation in which we can continue our academic achievement and academic improvements. We hope to find a superintendent who is going to be able to build on the foundation we already have.’’
In Pentucket, where four finalists have been named, the search for a new superintendent could come to a close later this month. Among the finalists in Pentucket is Saugus Superintendent Richard Langlois.
In Peabody, the search committee is reviewing resumes of the 17 applicants and starting preliminary interviews. The Billerica School Committee is aiming to name someone to the post by March.
In Rockport, the School Committee will be collecting applications from residents interested in being members of the superintendent search committee until tomorrow. Superintendent Susan King announced earlier this month that she will retire at the end of the school year.
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKConti. 
