Next steps on the WPS superintendent search

 If you're a watcher of local postings, you may have seen a flurry of postings for the Worcester School Committee for the end of the month: that means we're getting there!

Steel going up for the new Doherty:
we're building for the future in more ways than one!

Where are we now? Still in the confidential process: 

The Search Committee--the 22 (? I think?) member committee of community members plus School Committee members Jermoh Kamara, Molly McCullough (who is chairing), and me--met all day Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week to interview semi-finalists in confidential executive session.
Why executive session? The Open Meeting law exception under which we met (MGL Ch. 30A, sec. 21, a, 8) explains why: 

8. To consider or interview applicants for employment or appointment by a preliminary screening committee if the chair declares that an open meeting will have a detrimental effect in obtaining qualified applicants; provided, however, that this clause shall not apply to any meeting, including meetings of a preliminary screening committee, to consider and interview applicants who have passed a prior preliminary screening;

(emphasis mine)

The Open Meeting Law only allows exceptions to the requirements to meet in public if the interests of the public are better served by the meetings being held in private. Applying for a position when you have a job--I think we can all agree!--is fraught; will this impact your current employment? Thus a first round confidential review is allowed for such positions because it provides for people to apply without it being public, until they are among the few clearly in line for the position. It is in the best interests of the district to get the best and most qualified people possible to apply; thus, subsection 8 exists. 

Greenwood Asher and Associations, the firm with which we are working, is now conducting an extensive review of semi-finalists, as designated by the Search Committee. They will complete that by April 14, when the Search Committee has its next (and final) meeting to select finalists. 

Greenwood Asher will then confirm that those individuals wish to move forward into the public next step. 

The Worcester School Committee then meets on April 19 at 5 pm to receive the report of the Search Committee. At this point, the finalists become public.

The Committee plans then to visit the home districts of the finalists. The finalists also will visit Worcester and--cue the flurry of posting--each be interviewed in public session. (Don't take the number of postings as inside-r-y info; it's just the evenings available). That will happen over the week of the 18th and the week of the 25th.

As we have said: the plan is to have voted an appointment by the last week of April/first week of May. We're right on track as planned.