Committee Begins Interviews For New Superintendent

Interviews began on Friday for the finalists in Woonsocket's search for a new superintendent to replace Dr. Robert Gerardi, although the names of those chosen to serve on the search committee that will make the decision have yet to be released.

There are 108 candidates who have reportedly submitted applications for the position, which has been temporarily filled by Dr. Colette Trailor. Trailor, a twenty year veteran in education serving school districts across New England, that she will not be seeking the permanent position. The interim instead offered to help Woonsocket in choosing a permanent full-time education leader.

Committee members Linda Majewski and Eleanor Nadeau are in charge of the process for picking that leader, as members of the subcommittee that handles personnel issues for the department. A narrowed down pool of candidates were reportedly chosen for interviews to be given by a "search committee" of 20 city residents with a hand in education. The pair implemented the same process to choose Gerardi in 2008.

This time, however, the procedure has been with Committee members Vimala Phongsavanh and Anita McGuire Forcier questioning how that search committee was chosen.

"This search committee is made up of members that were hand-picked by two School Committee members," said Phongsavanh. "As a member of the public and as a School Committee member, I would like to know who is on this committee."

McGuire-Forcier also noticed that the requirements for the position, as posted on forums including School Spring and Massachusetts Association School Committees, had changed. According to the committee's policy manual, job specifications for vacant positions must be approved prior to posting.

At a School Committee meeting on July 13, those changes were dismissed as a clerical error by human resources.

"We have no jurisdiction over human resources," said Nadeau. "We did not know that that error took place."

Nadeau and Majewski further assured members that the names of those chosen for the search committee would be released to the public.

As of Friday, however, the list had not been released, though the interview process for final candidates had begun. At the McFee Administration building Friday beginning at 3 p.m., candidates, including Giovanna M. Donoyan, assistant superintendent in North Providence, headed in for interviews.  

City Councilman Christopher Beauchamp verified that he is a member of the search committee, chosen by Majewski and Nadeau, arriving at the same time as Donoyan to begin the interviews.

Committee Chair Marc Dubois expressed surprise when asked about the interviews, stating he had no idea they had begun.

"I honestly didn't know that. I had no idea they were doing interviews," Dubois said, adding that he was upset to find out they began before the list of search committee members was made public. "They publicly assured me that the names would be released." 

Neither Majewski or Nadeau returned calls for comment.