SHS headmaster search underway

By Catherine Rogers

  The process of hiring a new headmaster for Somerville High School has begun, and with the appointment just over two months away, Superintendent of Schools Anthony Pierantozzi has his work cut out for him. 
  Over the next few weeks, he will gather feedback from parents and teachers to gauge the qualities they seek in the next SHS headmaster. With a series of open forums for parents and separate meetings with current SHS faculty and staff, Pierantozzi said he aims ‚Äúto ensure that all stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute to the hiring process.‚Äù

  As the community at large casts an ideal image of a headmaster, the superintendent will choose a team of two parents, two students and two SHS teachers to screen the candidates in the first of three interview rounds. The first two are closed to the public but Pierantozzi invites interested members of the community to the third round of interviews.
  For those who cannot attend an information session, a survey is available to express concerns and expectations for the new headmaster. The form presents a series of qualities to be ranked in order of importance, ranging from experience in budgeting to diversity.
  The School Committee‚Äôs own standing regulations already angle toward diversity regarding the applicants themselves. The policy recommends that the interviewing committees consider at least one city resident, one current substitute in the Somerville schools, and one applicant who would promote cultural diversity among the staff.
  The position is currently advertised in The Boston Globe and an online job database.
  ‚ÄúWe‚Äôre confident we will have a representative group of applicants,‚Äù said Pierantozzi at the Jan. 9 School Committee meeting. Applications are accepted through Feb. 3.
  Mary Jo Rossetti, representing Ward 7 on the committee, said she looks forward to the ‚Äúfield trip‚Äù aspect of the hiring process, when the teams visit finalists in their own districts, to seem them acting on their own terms and on their own turf.
  The current SHS Headmaster will retire in June of this year after a 42-year career in the Somerville public school system.