School Superintendent Finalist: “That’s why I applied to Waltham. I see all the possibilities.”

If chosen as the new school district superintendent, Paul Schlichtman said he would work to improve the school’s reputation.

That was just one of the messages he had for the School Committee, which completed finalist interviews for a new district superintendent last night.

Although plans could change, Mayor Jeanette McCarthy, the committee’s chair, said the committee intends to meet at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 14 at to deliberate the next steps of the search process. On Monday evening, the committee interviewed finalists and .

The district is looking to replace former superintendent Peter Azar, who resigned last year after a dispute with the school committee. Assistant Superintendent For Administration Anne Marie Carr-Reardon has been managing the district in the interim.

Below are highlights of Schlichtman’s interview. Also, be sure to check out our video clips and Schlictman’s job application, which covers some topics not discussed in the story below. 

Schlichtman’s Current Position: Coordinator for Research, Testing and Assessment for the Lowell Public Schools

Past Experience: Coordinator for Research, Assessment and Evaluation for the Madison Park Technical-Vocational High School in Boston (1998-2001), part-time registrar for the Boston Adult Technical Academy (2000-2001), fourth and fifth grade teacher at the Samuel W. Mason Elementary School, Boston (1995-1998).

Education: Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology from the City College of New York, Master of Education degree from Harvard University, Certificate of Advanced Study from Harvard University Schlichtman has also written a qualifying paper for a doctorate program at Harvard University.

Hometown: Arlington

How would Schlichtman forge positive relationships with the Waltham community?: Regarding the School Committee, Schlichtman said he would keep all members up to date on relevant information and listen to any input they have.

About relating to the greater community, Schlichtman said he would use his prior experience as a newspaper reporter to make sure the district was promoting the positive accomplishments of the school district.

“These are things that are touching the lives of kids and are very important to kids and are very important for us to show the community,” Schlichtman said.

What does Schlichtman see as the challenges for the Waltham Public Schools?: With several new principles in the district, Schlichtman said he believes providing them with additional training would be difficult.

Also, Schlictman said he rebuilding the relationship between the superintendent position and the School Committee, would be difficult, given Azar’s prior dealings with the group. Schlichtman, a former Arlington School Committee member, said that his experience puts him in a good position to forge a professional relationship with each member.

“I’m a good match,” he said.

Lastly, Schlichtman said boosting the reputation of the Waltham schools, given that it is surrounded by Newton and Lexington, both of which have school systems with excellent credibility, would be difficult.

“Waltham has the ability to get there. You are well-resourced. You have community involvement. You have excellent teaching staff. The only thing you have not been able to do is bring it together,” Schlichtman said.

Would Schlichtman support merit based pay for his job?: “I’m open to any kind of evaluation that mirrors good public policy,” he said. “I’m certainly willing to look at it. We have to recognize, it is a very difficult thing to do because we don’t have much research [on the issue,” he said. Student testing performance should also be a factor in his pay, Schlichtman said. Creating a method for establishing such a pay system, however, would be difficult, he said. 

How would Schlichtman supplement his weaknesses in the job?: “Surround myself with people smarter than I am who have … strength [that Schlichtman lacks],” he said. In addition, Schlichtman said he would network with people to assist him.

How would Schlictman handle his various association memberships and still focus on the superintendent job?:

 “I will resign my seat in town meeting [in Arlington], and devote my full time effort to the children of Waltham,” Schlicthman said. Also, Schlichtman said he would only participate in activities that would improve his superintendent skills.

Other Notes: Schlichtman acknowledged he had recently applied to be superintendent in other communities.

(Sources: Schlichtman’s job application and interview with the School Committee)