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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-06-23 School Committee MinutesREADING PUBLIC SCHOOLS Reading, Massachusetts SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Call to Order 217 JUNE 23, 1987 Chairman Cliff Allen called the meeting of the Reading School Committee to order at 7 :35 p.m, on June 23, 1987 in the Superintendent's Conference Room at 34 Gould Street. All members of the School Committee were present. Also present were parents, and a reporter from the Chronicle. Mr. Allen stated he wanted to make it clear that this meeting was being held for the purpose of making a final decision on the selection of a candidate for the Superintendent's vacancy, and any other regular business would be taken up at the meeting which would be scheduled for the following week. Mr. Romeo Marquis, Consultant for the Superintendent's Search, stated before the School Committee engaged in formal deliberations there should be, at least, a brief Executive Session to review preliminary reports on site visits and any information of a confidential nature regarding character or reputation that should be discussed by the committee. At 7 :40 p.m., Mrs. Philbrick made a motion, seconded by Mr. Shannon, to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing site visits and information pertinent to character and reputation of final candidates for the Superintendent's position. The vote was unanimous. Mr. Allen stated the School Committee would be returning to Open Session in approximately 20 minutes. At 8:12 p.m., the School Committee returned to Open Session. Mr. Allen stated the committee would now make a report on site visits, but Mr. Marquis had an announcement to make before this item. Mr. Marquis stated that he had heard from one of the finalists, Dr. Ellen Bueschel on Monday regarding a job offer she had received a few days ago from Stoneham as Assistant Superintendent He stated Dr. Bueschel had stated she felt she would have to make decision before the Reading School Committee meeting scheduled for the following night and would get back to him. Mr. Marquis stated at approximately 12 noon that day, he had received another call from Dr. Bueschel, and she stated that she was going to accept the 218 READING SCHOOL COMIMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 Assistant Superintendency in Stoneham. She stated she had two reasons for that, one of which was because that position was more in line with her professional goals in terms of writing and research which she had hoped to do, and secondly, it was better for her to coordinate this position with her husband's search for a position in this area. Mr. Marquis stated Dr. Bueschel asked him to convey to the Screening and School Committees in Reading her appreciation for their consideration of her for the position of Superintendent. Mr. Allen stated there would then be a report on the site visits by members of the School Committee. Mr. Nissen stated he and Mr. Allen has visited Essex on Monday, to interview finalist, Mr. Mark Kaufman, and to make a site visit to his office and the schools in the Essex- Hamilton School System. Mr. Nissen listed the people he had interviewed in the school system and went over the statements of the candidate in the report, weaknesses and strengths, and comments made to him by people who he and Mr. Allen had interviewed. He stated that Mr. Kaufman was involved in a Regional Committee in that area to review the possibility of a Regional School District. Mr. Nissen stated that he and Mr. Allen found that Mr. Kaufman had high expectations of his staff and was not afraid to take risks. He noted that students appeared to be very involved and very prepared. Mr. Nissen stated Mr. Kaufman was good with budget management and had also rounded out the middle school curriculum in that area. Mr. Nissen stated if one considered this a weakness, some people interviewed stated Mr. Kaufman was somewhat of a perfectionist and expected nothing less than correct procedure when dealing with staff or the School Committee and that also he was sometimes characterized as a workaholic, a person not inclined to designate work. Mr. Nissen stated although Mr. Kaufman had not been very active in the community, he had previously been filling two jobs which left him little free time. Mr. Nissen stated although he had not had an opportunity to demonstrate his administrative abilities in a structure such as Reading's, it was his and Mr. Allen's feeling that Mr. Kaufman was an excellent Superintendent. Mr. Nissen stated his lack of administrative experience in a system like Reading's made him somewhat of a risk for our position. He then stated he would answer any questions directed to him. Mr. Allen stated some people in the community thought there was some confusion on identifying responsibility for situations because Mr. Kaufman was holding two positions for a period of time. He noted that although he had accomplished a lot in his time in Essex - Hamilton School System, some people felt holding two positions at once didn't really give him enough time to give each position the time it deserved. Mr. Allen stated they found the site visit very informative, and both he and Mr. Nissen felt the process was worthwhile. 219 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 As there were no questions, Mr. Allen stated Carol Lyons would review her and Mr. Shannon's site visit in regard to Dr. Munnelly. Ms. Lyons stated she and Mr. Shannon had spoken with a lot of people that day; parents, PTO Presidents, Elementary, Middle and High School Principals, Department Heads, representatives of the Custodial, and Secretarial staffs and a representative of the RTA. She stated she felt, that perhaps her and Mr. Shannon's visit was the most difficult because of Dr. Munnelly being the in —house candidate. She stated they had learned a lot about Dr. Munnelly, mostly about people's perceptions of his strengths and weaknesses. Ms. Lyons stated they had asked everyone to talk freely about Dr. Munnelly and his current position and what they thought his abilities were to be Superintendent, strengths and weaknesses, visions for the future, etc. She stated one of the things that came across loud and clear was his ability to communicate with all levels of staff and his abilities in the area of curriculum. Ms. Lyons stated most people couldn't say enough about things that he had done for the Reading School System during his years here, his responsibility in regard to staff, and several people commented about his good sense of future and was, in fact, several years ahead in regard to ideas and vision. She noted they commented on his leadership abilities, and how extremely well he had worked with Dr. Wells. Ms. Lyons stated people felt he has had to make some very difficult decisions, in regard to personnel issues and riffing staff, and that he had handled them very well. She noted that another area of ability mentioned was his ability to inspire and motivate staff. Ms. Lyons stated she had learned also that he was excellent at getting people excited about their jobs and to work harder at them. She stated his hiring practices have been very good also. Mr. Shannon stated a number of people said he was a very quiet background person, as opposed to Dr. Wells, who they felt was more of an upfront person. He noted that people felt he didn't take credit for a lot of things that he had done, being willing to have others get credit. Mr. Shannon stated he had questioned people on whether they felt he could be more aggressive and most felt, he could be, if he were given the opportunity, and also that he could make tough decisions in the area of personnel. Mr. Shannon noted when they asked about people's perception of his weaknesses, there was no consistency. He noted some felt he occasionally talked around a subject and sometimes did not get to the bottom of it, although if asked specifically, he would get to the point. There were some comments that he did not follow through on some subjects. Mr. Shannon stated overall most people felt he was very bright, intelligent, and articulate. Ms. Lyons stated a few people felt he wasn't dynamic and felt uncomfortable about this in regard to the Superintendent's position. Mr. Shannon stated it was certainly a consensus of 220 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 opinion that he was one of the top Assistant Superintendent's in the State. Ms. Lyons stated some people expressed some fear of losing him in that area. Mr. Marquis asked if the committee felt the site visits generated additional information that was helpful to them over and above what they could obtain from interviews or the paperwork? Mr. Coco stated both he and Barbara Philbrick felt the site visit they made was very beneficial. Mrs. Philbrick stated she felt site visits were invaluable, and very necessary as part of the process. She noted you obtain valuable information from interviews with co- workers, principals, and other personnel along with visual evidence of the system in which they are working. Mr. Nissen stated he felt he had a much clearer picture of the candidate than he had before his site visit. Mr. Allen noted that on this visit it was amazing how cooperative and responsive people were when they know you are there for a good cause. Mr. Shannon stated he felt it would be an important part of the reevaluation of the Superintendent's policy to include visits to staff during that first year to get their comments. Mr. Marquis stated the committee now had three options and asked that they try to base their decision making on the long -range view of what they felt was in the best interests of the school system. He stated the committee's three options were: they could elect Mr. Kaufman Superintendent, they could elect Or. Munnelly Superintendent, or they could re -open the search. Mr. Marquis stated if the committee now feels they have 2 candidates in which they have a high level of confidence, they had a difficult decision, and there was no reason to re -open the search. If they felt they had no strong candidates, they had no choice but to re -open the search. He stated they could do this by roll call or a motion, whatever method of operation they used. Mr. Coco stated he had a question of the site visitors in Reading, and it was that people often voiced a concern about the lack of openness of the administration to parents and others, and asked if any people they had interviewed had commented on that issue? Mr. Shannon stated he had had people from outside mention this, but both PTO's and staff had stated they felt Dr. Munnelly always tried to be accessible if called. In answer to a question, Mr. Nissen stated Mr. Kaufman had worked approximately one and a half years in Essex as a Superintendent. Mr. Shannon stated his main area of reservation on Mr. Kaufman was that his responsibility and involvement with the High School in that Town was very limited and would not remotely approach his involvement in Reading. Mr. Nissen stated Mr. Kaufman was only involved with the High School in regard to curriculum for 7th and SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES 221 JUNE 23, 1987 8th graders being well prepared for their transition to the High School. Mr. Allen asked for a clarification of the comment that Dr. Munnelly did not follow through in some situations. Mr. Shannon stated this was noted in a few cases where concerns had been brought to the Central Office and Dr. Munnelly had indicated a commitment but people involved did not feel there had been a resolution to them. Mr. Shannon stated perhaps Dr. Munnelly thought there were more important issues to be resolved during this time, but some people felt let down. He noted this was not a major concern, and certainly nothing to disqualify an individual. Mr. Allen asked how many people Mr. Shannon and, Carol Lyons had spoken to, and Mr. Shannon replied, they had interviewed 16 people. Mr. Coco stated he felt Mr. Kaufman lacked sufficient administrative skills at this time and there was no way for him to gain that skill with the Essex - Hamilton School System. Mr. Nissen stated Mark Kaufman was active with the Regional Committee and had demonstrated his ability to deal with groups and how to make things happen, although he had not been involved with direct supervision. He also noted that if Mr. Kaufman were appointed, it would be a double step for him, and that some element of risk was involved in appointing him. Mr. Nissen stated Mark had a lot of interest in the job and demonstrated a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but he felt, the position might be over his head. Carol Lyons asked if there was any indication that Mr. Kaufman was actively pursuing earning his Doctorate which he had indicated he was pursuing on his resume. Mrs. Philbrick stated, if she remembered correctly, he had stated during the interview that he had decided, because of his already overcrowed schedule, pursuing his Doctorate was not a top priority at this time. Mr. Marquis asked if anyone had any other questions. He then stated he felt it was much more difficult to evaluate an in -house candidate because they are either scrutinized much more carefully or somewhat less carefully depending on the situation. Mr. Marquis stated he could only advise the School Committee to try to be as objective as possible, and at this point, it appeared a motion might be in order. He stated the bottom line was that it was ;perfectly in order for the committee to try to influence each other in a positive way, as this was possibly the most vital decision they would make in terms of setting a direction for the school system. Mr. Shannon stated he had concerns with the latest developments, as he did not consider Mr. Kaufman still a viable candidate, although he was bright and reports were good, he did not see that he was remotely ready to handle this Superintendent's position in Reading. He noted, therefore, there was really only one 222. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE; 23, 1987 candidate. Mr. Shannon stated he still had concerns about Dr. Munnelly, although his performance was fine, he was still not clear about where he wanted to take the Reading Public Schools, or where Dr. Wells stops and Dr. Munnelly begins. Ms. Lyons stated she had the same concerns about Mark Kaufman, although she respected his intelligence and was impressed with some of the things he had said during the interview, she couldn't help feeling the level of risk was too great because of his lack of secondary experience,anything on the scope he would be dealing with in Reading. She stated Dr. Munnelly was an experienced administrator and there was nothing negative to say about his performance or integrity and background, and a lot of people talked about how good he was at what he does, but she was unsure he could raise this to the level of Superintendent. Ms. Lyons stated she felt that she was left with only one candidate about whom she did not feel that enthusiastic which made her uncomfortable. Mrs. Philbrick stated she agreed with both Mr. Shannon and Ms. Lyons, and when she came back from Indiana, she was very enthusiastic about having Dr. Bueschel become the next Superintendent. She stated she had a problem with where the committee was right now. Mr. Coco stated he felt the same way as Mrs. Philbrick and was also very enthusiastic about Dr. Bueschel after making the site visit to Indiana, and the possibility that we could get her out here. He stated he did not appreciate being down to one candidate and feeling as if the choice was made for him. He stated hearing comments of people speaking so far, it seemed to him that the consensus was for opening up the search again. Mr. Coco stated what should really be a concern is getting a group of candidates from which the committee could make a proper choice. Mr. Nissen stated he understood how everyone felt, but the issue he disagreed with strongly was whether it mattered if there was 1 candidate or 12. He stated although he was not disagreeing about Mr. Kaufman's lack of experience, there was a candidate, Bob Munnelly, who has a great deal of experience in this kind of position, the Reading School System has a good reputation and excellent staff, a well- rounded curriculum, enthusiasm on the part of teachers, principals, and the community, and in spite of the fact that Bob Munnelly is in part responsible for that, he isn't being considered a viable candidate for Superintendent, and it is being suggested we start the search all over again. Mr. Nissen stated he felt that we were sending Mr. Munnelly the message, "Thanks, but no thanks!" He stated he felt it was a wrong decision for the Reading School System. Mr. Nissen stated he felt if the search was begun again, the committee might find even a smaller number of interested and viable candidates somewhat because of the time of year, and also, the fact that 40 or so candidates had already been turned down for the position. 223 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 Mr. Nissen stated if there were specific concerns, they could be identified and worked out as goals and objectives during evaluations and supervision could be provided for in these areas. He stated he was strongly in favor of Bob Munnelly as a candidate for Superintendent. Mr. Allen stated that he realized the importance of this decision and he took time to write down some of his conclusions. He then read his statement, which stated that Dr. Munnelly had a great deal of impact on the school system and it appeared some members of the committee were not taking this into consideration. Mr. Allen stated the committee could determine some reasonable expectations and discuss them with Bob Munnelly face to face and later,'perhaps a joint work plan or an EBO,'and then allow a qualified administrator the opportunity to show his own style and personality rather than expect that he would be a clone for the former Superintendent with whom he served for 17 years. He stated he has had no experience as a Superintendent, but there is certainly no lack of preparation for that position. Mr. Allen stated he disagreed that there were perhaps some more qualified candidates still to be gotten if the search were reopened. Mr. Allen stated he could not agree with the idea that Bob Munnelly has not been clear about his objectives for the school system and the directions in which parents, principals, etc., wanted the system to go, as he had been a very active participant in the listing of these desires earlier in the search process. He stated the School Committee could give appropriate direction in regard to these issues if they so chose. Mr. Allen stated he also could not conceive of the idea that Dr. Munnelly's good record of performance and attainments as an excellent Assistant Superintendent could be turned around and made a reason for his not being hired as the Superintendent. Mr. Allen stated he strongly advocated Dr. Munnelly for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Marquis then stated he would like to add that the discussion of goal setting with the Superintendent, whoever it was to be, during the entry process is a very vital process, and that he, as consultant, would be there to help in this process whenever a decision was made. Mr. Shannon stated if there was a determination to reopen the search, there perhaps should be a motion to appoint an interim Superintendent. He stated the logical selection would be the present Assistant Superintendent. Mr. Shannon stated when there is a question of support in a governmental body of a selection for a position, which he felt held true in the private sector as well, it is often that a person is given the position on a pro tem basis. He stated this could be done in the case of Dr. Munnelly which would give him perhaps the inside track when the position came up again, and give the committee a clearer picture of him as Superintendent and his direction for the school system. 224 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 Mr. Nissen stated also being in business, he disagreed with some of Mr. Shannon's perceptions in appointing someone on a pro tem basis. He stated it had been his experience that when someone is appointed in this way, it is usually interpreted that they were inadequate for the job and someone else more qualified will eventually be selected. Mr. Nissen stated there is always the opportunity after a year or so, if the performance of the Superintendent is not satisfactory after an evaluation, to search for a new one. Mr. Nissen stated if a person is given a position on this basis, people do not see them as having real authority in that position, and they lose their ability to make an impact or to get full support from staff. He noted because of this, the ability to judge a person's performance under those circumstances is still very much up in the air. Mr. Allen then stated that some people are not sure that Dr. Munnelly will be successful, but there are no guarantees in any job, and anyone will be a risk no matter who they are. He stated he was not in favor of appointing Dr. Munnelly only as acting Superintendent, and although there are some issues some members feel are a concern, they are ones he felt could be dealt with on a face to face basis. Mr. Allen stated he felt the most you can do to enhance your opportunities for advancement is prepare yourself for a position, and he felt Bob Munnelly had certainly done that for the Superintendency. He stated people's track records, in most cases, were what determined their qualifications for a position and certainly Dr. Munnelly's 17 years of service were excellent ones and he was well respected by his colleagues and organizations he hadbeenassociated with. Mr. Allen stated we will never know what kind of a Superintendent he could be, if we don't give him the opportunity. He stated Dr. Munnelly had certainly received all the information from citizens and staff and had an idea of the situation as the School Committee sees it and it seemed self - defeating to the Reading School System to do anything other than appoint Dr. Munnelly as Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Coco stated Mr. Marquis had stated eariler the ideal situation would have been to have two strong candidates from whom the committee could choose. He stated he felt this was not the case, as one of the two remaining candidates had a definite lack of administrative experience. He stated from a long -term point of view, the committee would be setting the direction of the school system for the next 10 -15 years, and the short -term was there would be a delay in the process of 5 to 6 months, and he was willing to trade off this short -term delay in order to be sure that we make the right decision for Superintendent. Mr. Coco stated in business it was not unusual for the CEO of an organization to be chosen from outside, simply to introduce fresh ideas and perhaps a new sense of purpose, and that was why he and Mrs. Philbrick had come back from Indiana with so much enthusiasm. 225 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 He stated he could support the interim appointment to some extent, but for a long -term appointment, he felt the system needed a new set of goals and objectives. Mr. Allen stated he felt the concerns were mostly people oriented and that obviously, a program that is functioning in the right direction does not need wholesale changes, but merely some fine tuning. Mr. Nissen then stated he would like to discuss risk analysis in regard to hiring Dr. Munnelly. He noted that on the plus side it was possible the committee might find somebody all felt was just exactly what they wanted, but on the other side, the new search may not find as many candidates and there were no guarantees that Dr. Munnelly would be among them, if he chose not to go through the process again. Ms. Lyons stated she had a lot of trouble with, the idea that not selecting a Superintendent that evening would cause permanent harm. She stated she felt she would be making a decision that would probably be O. K., but did not feel it was terrific. Ms. Lyons stated she felt the system perhaps needed a candidate with more charisma, energy and vision. Mr. Allen stated perhaps this would be a good time to let the audience state their views. A parent, Ann Saurman, stated as a person having children in the system, she would rather wait to make an appointment for Superintendent about whom all could feel enthusiastic. Another parent stated she felt the School Committee was stating that Reading had an excellent system, but wouldn't give support to a candidate who had been a part of that. Another parent stated she had dealt with Dr. Munnelly on occasions and had always had a good experience with him, and felt he was a wonderful candidate. Mr. Al Lahood, Principal of Coolidge School, stated after 17 years of service, it was possible to lose some charisma, but he felt personally of all the candidates, Bob Munnelly was the person who should be voted Superintendent of Schools. A Mr. John Price stated he had been on opposite sides of many issues with the School Department, but he felt that Bob Munnelly was a strong candidate and the appointment should be made as Superintendent not as Acting Superintendent, for one year if that was what they wanted. He stated his reason for that was that persons who are appointed on an acting basis are always looking over their shoulder, which made it very hard to function fully in that position. Mr. Price stated being a member of Town Government, he had worked with both Dr. wells and Dr. Munnelly and had always felt they were fair and good about getting information back to the various Boards. 226 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 23, 1987 Mr. Shannon stated he understood that along with an appointment for one year, there was usually a rollover option included, which in effect was almost a two year commitment. He stated he wanted to make it clear that when he was talking about a one -year contract, it would not include a rollover. Mr. Paul Guerrette, Mrs. Eileen Woods, and a Mr. Fineberg, a member of the School Committee from Swampscott, where Dr. Munnelly had also been a finalist for Superintendency, spoke in behalf of his candidacy for the Superintendent's position. Mr. Shannon asked Mr. Fineberg, if he knew the reason for the Swampscott's selecting the other finalist and not Dr. Munnelly. Mr. Fineberg stated some had decided that although Dr. Munnelly has excellent credentials, the other finalist had a slight edge in that area. _Mr. Nissen made a motion, seconded -by Barbara Philbrick, to appoint Dr. Robert Munnelly as Superintendent of Schools in Reading. There was a long period of discussion among the School Committee members regarding Dr. Munnelly's qualifications, the contract period, and possible alternatives to resolve the present situation. Mr. Nissen made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, to table his previous motion to appoint Dr. Munnelly. The motion to table was unanimously approved. At 10:30 p.m., Barbara Philbrick, made a motion, seconded by Mr. Shannon, to go into Executive Session to discuss specific items relative to a contract with the new Superintendent. The vote was 4 -1 -0 in favor, with Ms. Lyons voting in the negative. Mr. Allen stated the committee would be in Executive Session approximately 25 minutes and would then return to Open Session. At 11:20 p.m., the School Committee returned to Open Session. _Mr. Nissen made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, to withdraw his motion, which had been tabled, to appoint Dr. Munnelly as Superintendent, and it was unanimously approved. Mr. Nissen stated he would like to make a modified motion, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, to appoint Robert J. Munnelly, Superintendent of Schools, subject to an agreement on a contract between the Superintendent and the School Committee. A roll call vote was taken, and the amendment was unanimouslv voted 5 -0. Mr. Allen then announced that the next School Committee meeting would be held on Tuesday, June 30, 1987. At 11 :25 p.m., Mrs. Philbrick made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Shannon, ana the vote was unanimous.