History and future of assistant super job

FALLS VILLAGE — About 20 people came to a focus group meeting (the second in a series of three) about the position of Region One School District assistant superintendent on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS). 

Although this position has been widely discussed and debated, the first such meeting was very lightly attended. 

The Region One Board of Education hired consultant Mary Broderick from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education to assist in defining the position, vacated at the end of October by Diane Goncalves.

The board decided to get help in writing the job description.

Broderick has held focus groups with teachers and staff throughout the month. The first meeting with the public was at North Canaan Elementary School Jan. 8. Only five people attended, and two of them were from the press.

Broderick said she is the person responsible for putting together the information from the focus groups and from an online survey. She said about 160 people have completed the survey, which can be found on the Region One website, www.region1schools.org.

Marshall Miles of Salisbury noted that the survey can be filled out by the same person multiple times if the person switches IP addresses.

Asked about the search committee for the position, Broderick said the committee is made up of the members of the Region One board and the All Boards Chair committee (comprised of the chairmen of the six town school boards and of the Region One board).

Broderick said that one reason for the search committee membership is that job applicants are wary of large committees for confidentiality reasons.

From Kirby, job’s history

Ed Kirby of Sharon had a statement ready. The former HVRHS principal and assistant superintendent defined the job as an assistant to the superintendent who deals primarily with principals of the seven member schools and teachers, and who supervises and evaluates the principals.

He noted the unique qualities of Region One, which covers a physical area that is about 5 percent of the entire state.

He said that the assistant superintendent should be in charge of introducing new teachers to the six member towns, with an emphasis on the history and characteristics of the towns.

“I think it’s important to get an overview of the entire area,” Kirby said, adding that this used to be standard practice.

He said the assistant superintendent should plan and run professional development programs for teachers, and work with teachers on instructional skills.

“We often have a better idea of the ‘what’ than the ‘how,’” he said.

Extend a wide net

Kirby said the high school has been steadily losing students since a high of 700-plus in 1978-79. “It’s about time we came up with some kind of a plan to deal with it.”

He advised a national search rather than an in-state one.

And he said the search committee members should be prepared to travel to the candidates’ home turf and ask questions — not just at the school, but around town.

“You often learn more by going to breakfast with the regulars.”

Someone in the audience asked Kirby if he would accept the job if it were offered.

Amid the general laughter, Kirby said, “I don’t think you want an 87-year-old.

“Although if you look at this —” he gestured to a copy of his statement — “I wonder why anyone would take it.”

Lou Timolat of Falls Village said that when the title of “assistant superintendent” was created for the then-director of curriculum, it was an honorific.

“It was for prestige. They weren’t looking for a deputy superintendent.”

Pat Mechare, a retired teacher and the Falls Village first selectman, said she was concerned about the roster of the search committee. She said the search committee that hired HVRHS Principal Jose Martinez was large and included members of the community and elected officials as well as school board members, and there were no confidentiality issues.

She said by limiting the search committee to the regional board and the ABC committee, “the only way for people to make a point is to defeat budgets.”

Top-notch education

Broderick also asked the audience for input on Region One’s strengths and weaknesses. Mechare said she didn’t believe HVRHS has been effectively promoted.

“I would put the programs at this high school up against any private school,” she said. “They are top-notch.”

And she said that the new assistant superintendent should be someone with a strong background in curriculum and teacher instruction.

Timolat said the new administrator “has to have been a great teacher first.”