The School Committee hired the firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates of Rosemont, Ill. and consultants John Connolly and Albert Argenziano will be in town to meet with various parent groups, town officials and others Wednesday and Thursday.
AMHERST – People who want to voice their opinions on what traits the district superintendent might possess are invited to a public forum Wednesday at the Amherst Regional High School auditorium at 7 p.m.
This is one of many forums being held today and Thursday.
The School Committee hired the firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates of Rosemont, Ill. and consultants John Connolly and Albert Argenziano will be in town to meet with various parent groups, town officials and others throughout the two days.
Also various constituent groups are asked to fill in online surveys and for participants to rank the importance of various traits. Surveys are available at http://www.arps.org/superintendent-search.
“I feel good about the search,” said Amherst Regional School Committee chairman Richard B. Hood. There had been some discussion about whether to forgo a search and hire acting superintendent Maria Geryk to the position without a search but officials decided to proceed with the search.
The Select Board in September had voted to forgo a national search for a new town manager and hire John P. Musante. Musante was assistant town manager and finance director. Laurence R. Shaffer retired Sept. 30.
In an e-mail, Geryk said she planned to wait until the consultants met with staff and community groups to develop a vision for the position before deciding whether to apply.
Geryk was named interim superintendent for 16 months after Alberto Rodriguez left after eight months in March. She had also served as interim superintendent for four months the year before after Alton G. Sprague and Helen L. Vivian, who had been the interim co-superintendents, left for health reasons. Former Superintendent Jere I. Hochman left in the summer of 2008 after five years on the job.
School committees in West Springfield, Westfield and Northampton are looking for superintendents as well. The committee in Granby has named three finalists in that community for a position and hopes to name a new superintendent there by Nov. 15.
Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates is expected to begin advertising in November after looking at the surveys and meeting with the various groups, Hood said.
An eight member screening committee will be appointed to review applications. Hood said they hope to be able to select a new superintendent in January after interviewing finalists that month as well.