Public Meetings For School Superintendent Selection Begin

ANDOVER, MA —Andover students, parents, and school faculty can give their input on what they’d like to see in a school superintendent at community meetings—all held on Zoom—this week. The Andover School Committee is seeking public opinion as part of the process for selecting a new superintendent, who they hope will begin on July 1 of this year.

“This is really important to us—that the community be engaged and involved in the process,” said Shannon Scully, chairperson of the Andover School Committee in an interview with Patch Tuesday.

Tuesday’s meetings are for Andover High School students, all assistant principals in the district, and the district’s support staff. Parents, school volunteers, business, and the general public will be able to give their opinions later this week.

A community survey asking what characteristics would be important in a superintendent was opened on Jan. 8 and will close on Sunday, Jan. 24, one day after the community meetings end. The survey asks participants to choose 10 qualities they would want to see in a candidate from a list of 35. Some options are:

Is willing to listen to input, but is a decision maker.

Is committed to the importance of both the academic and activity programs.

Is a non-traditional or “hybrid candidate” with business/private sector background in addition to an educational career.

The School Committee will hold an open workshop to decide on the ideal candidate profile on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. The committee is working with Ray and Associates, an organization that specializes in recruiting school leadership—the firm will receive and review applications in February, according to the School Committee’s timeline on its website. Interviews and further community feedback is expected in March and April, before a candidate is chosen by the School Committee.

Meeting Schedule

Find the schedule with links to register for the Zoom meetings here.

Parents:

• Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. (Spanish translation available)
• Friday, Jan. 22 at 12 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 23 at 9 a.m.

Teachers and instructional assistants:

• Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m.

Students:
High School

• Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m.

Elementary and Middle School

• Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m.

Principals:

• Thursday, Jan. 21 at 3:45 p.m.

Assistant Principals:

• Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 3:45 p.m.

Administrators (includes program coordinators, directors of facilities and public safety, and APS directors):

• Thursday, Jan. 21 at 3:45 p.m.

Support Staff (includes administrative assistants, custodians, and food service staff):

• Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 4:30 p.m.

Volunteer Support Organizations:

• Friday, Jan. 22 at 9:30 a.m.

Andover Businesses:

• Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m.

General Public:

• Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m.