8 new superintendents to start south of Boston

The flock of incoming school chiefs in Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Freetown-Lakeville, Holbrook, Scituate, Stoughton, and Whitman-Hanson seems as eager and full of promise as the students they will lead, despite bleak finances and a statewide trend of shorter and shorter tenures for superintendents.

Joe Baeta said he is determined to have a good year despite juggling dual roles as principal of Holbrook Junior/Senior High School and interim superintendent. In education since 1992, he says he hopes to earn the job permanently when the one-year term is up.

Baeta’s holding of both jobs saves the district $72,000 and, with another $220,000 in administrative cuts, the district has been able to save teachers’ jobs. Administrative offices have also moved into the junior/senior high school to save money.

Baeta said his efforts to reverse a state designation of underperformance in Holbrook schools will start in the classroom. “What needs to change is the way we do business,’’ he said. “We have to prioritize teaching and learning.’’

He is building on the work of Susan Martin, the former superintendent who left to lead Scituate’s schools. In March 2008, the state Commission on the Status of Women named Martin an unsung heroine.

“I’m interested in developing programs and working in the area of curriculum,’’ said Martin, adding she is thrilled about her new job in Scituate. “And I’m watching the finances every day.’’

At Whitman-Hanson, Assistant Superintendent Ruth Gilbert-Whitner moved up this year after former superintendent John McEwan took a job as president of Cardinal Spellman High School, where he began his teaching career 36 years ago.

Gilbert-Whitner said Whitman-Hanson employees helped a tough budget by each taking a day’s furlough. But tough decisions, like downsizing some jobs and outsourcing special education transportation, had to be made. Her focus is “literacy and numeracy,’’ and integrating technology into every district classroom, she said.

“We are ensuring that all our students are globally ready,’’ she said, pointing to the recent arrival of the district’s fourth Chinese exchange teacher.

Times are tough, Gilbert-Whitner agreed. “But this is a wonderful school district, and I don’t have to do it alone. People are very focused on doing what’s right for children.’’

In Brockton, the first order of business for Superintendent Matthew Malone will be to launch a listening tour. The former Swampscott school chief replaces Basan “Buzz’’ Nembirkow, who is retiring.

“Brockton is doing good work,’’ Malone said. “I see my role as coming in to sustain the focus and increase it over time.’’

Malone is also working under a performance-based contract negotiated with the School Committee, so, “I will be measured by the goals they set for me,’’ he said.

It is a decidedly different scene today for school leaders across the state.

For the last several decades, the turnover rate for superintendents was about once every 15 years, said Paul Andrews, director of professional development and government services for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

That figure has dropped to 4.7 years, he said. Further, seven to 10 superintendents on average retired each year in the past, but now there are 40 to 50 spots to fill, he said. An average salary is $142,500.

“The pressures on a superintendent are huge,’’ Andrews said. “It’s now a quality of life issue. They work day and night.’’

To do the job right, a superintendent has to work in the office, be in the schools, and out in the community, as well as connect with the local school committee. Somewhere in there is family time in a work week that can stretch to 60 or 80 hours.

“The complexities of the position are just enormous,’’ Andrews said.

One thought for local districts is to groom more candidates from within, he said. Subsequently, the association is working on developing leadership programs to encourage educators to reach toward higher administrative positions in their own districts.

Some districts choose to hire an interim superintendent while they assess their options, but the reality is they have to find a replacement, said Andrews. “It’s all about the right fit,’’ he said. “Who the person is and who can step into a community.’’

In addition to Gilbert-Whitner, several of the other new superintendents also most recently served as assistant superintendents, including Susan Cote in East Bridgewater, Michael Green in Easton, and Marguerite Rizzi in Stoughton.

Green, also a former principal in Easton, has served that district for 17 years.

“Obviously, I’m familiar with this system, and it’s fantastic,’’ he said. “It’s well respected, with great students, achievement is high, and parent support is ideal. We certainly have a lot to be proud of.’’

Green said the job not only presents challenges but also opportunities: “I look forward to working with the town and staff to move our district forward.’’

John McCarthy, a former principal at Hopkinton and Duxbury high schools, is now leading the Freetown-Lakeville Public Schools. He posted his game plan on the district’s website.

McCarthy said he, too, will first focus on getting to know people in the two communities to see “what works and what doesn’t, what’s valued, and what your hopes and dreams are.’’ He has pledged to start every day in a school, not in his office.

“I believe strongly in setting high expectations for all members of the school community, beginning with myself, and believing in the potential of every child,’’ McCarthy said. “As the father of two children, I realize the valuable role parents play in this process. I consider parents as our partners in education.’’

Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net.