Marblehead Schools Interim Superintendent Search Timeline Set

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The process to hire an interim superintendent who will lead Marblehead Public Schools until a full-time replacement for ousted superintendent John Buckey is hired has begun with the posting of the position and School Committee Chair Sarah Fox setting a timeline of early October for the interim position to be filled.

Fox is seeking one staff representative and one parent representative for the steering committee that will review applications, conduct preliminary interviews from Sept. 27 to Sept. 30, and then forward finalists to the full School Committee for public interviews and a decision.

Fox said during Thursday night's meeting that the hope is to offer the interim position to a candidate by the committee's Oct. 5 meeting.

"This is the interim search," Fox noted. "This is not the full-time superintendent search so we will also be having another search possible as early as February."

Fox and Alison Taylor will serve as School Committee members on the steering committee, with Acting Interim Superintendent Michelle Cresta serving as the administrative representative.

"One reason for that is that Michelle has been pretty clear that she doesn't want the job," Fox said in nominating Cresta at Thursday's meeting. "So we don't have to have a concern that whoever the representative administrator is is also submitting an application. Also, I do think (Cresta will) be working very closely with this person (as assistant superintendent of finance), and (she's) had a lot of experience in other districts, so (she) may very well have some information on those who might be coming in front of us that also might be helpful."

Fox asked that anyone seeking to be the parent or faculty representative be able to commit to all the dates in the timeline and submit their letters of interest by Sept. 4. Information on applying will be posted on the Marblehead School Committee's website.

"If you cannot commit to all of these dates I respectfully ask that you not submit your information because it is 100 percent participation mandatory," she said.

The application process will close on Sept. 18 with the screening committee set to meet on Sept. 18 and Sept. 20 to review candidates and determine candidates for interviews the following week. The screening committee will then forward candidates from the Sept. 27-30 interviews to the full school committee for public interviews and a possible offer.

Buckey and the School Committee came to what was called a mutual separation agreement earlier this month after a six-week saga in which the School Committee appeared to push Buckey out of the leadership role after three years and with two years still remaining on his contract extension.

No reason was ever given publicly for the desire to replace Buckey — much to the frustration of those who spoke in public comment at an Aug. 11 meeting that grew heated at times — but the School Committee did vote 3-1 at that meeting to approve the separation agreement with Buckey that had been negotiated in closed executive sessions.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)