The Superintendent

By law, the superintendent of schools is the chief executive officer of the school district and the educational leader of the community. He or she has a wide range of responsibilities and is accountable to the committee for:

• implementation of school committee policy
• preparation and administration of the budget
• evaluation of staff and program
• appointing and dismissing principals
• hiring staff other than building-based
• recommending, for school committee approval, hiring of assistant superintendent
• publishing district policies established by the committee, e.g., conduct of teachers and students
• evaluation of principals and administrators
• operation of the educational program
• hearing student appeals resulting from expulsion that occurred due to violation of the student handbook rules pertaining to possession of a controlled substance, dangerous weapon or assault on a member of the educational staff
• recommending, for school committee approval, professional development
• plan for principals, teachers and other professional staff
• approving principal's staff recommendations
• notifying, on or before June 15th, teachers without professional teacher status if he/she will not be reappointed for the next school year.

In the course of meeting these responsibilities, the superintendent must maintain a positive working relationship with the committee and the staff, while developing programs that meet the needs of the students and the community.

SELECTION OF A SUPERINTENDENT

The selection of a superintendent is the most important task a school committee undertakes. Finding an individual with the necessary background and skills requires thoughtful examination of the expectations of the committee and the community. How successfully this challenge is met will have a profound effect on the direction of education in the district.

There are various methods for selecting a superintendent. Some committees prefer to form a subcommittee composed of their own members; others prefer to involve the full committee in the entire process; still others prefer to have a professional advisor assist in the search for candidates. In an effort to solicit greater community input, many school committees use screening committees which include community members. MASC, of course, is always available to discuss the search process with the committee. School committees may also contract with MASC to conduct the search. Whatever process is used, the selection of the superintendent is solely the responsibility of the committee.