School Committee selected Massachusetts Association of School Committees to lead search efforts

The Somerville School Committee officially launched the search for Somerville’s next Superintendent of Schools in November 2022 with the selection of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) to lead the district’s Superintendent search process.

Former Superintendent Mary Skipper announced her departure from the role in summer 2022 following her selection by the Boston School Committee to serve as Boston’s Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Jeff Curley is currently serving as Interim Superintendent in Somerville. A new Superintendent is tentatively slated to begin their term in July 2023, pending the outcome of the search process.

Interested applicants for the Somerville Superintendent of Schools position are encouraged to view materials and access the application portal at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/superintendent-search. Members of the public can access this page for updated meeting minutes, materials, and important public meeting dates. Information will also be shared on the Somerville Public Schools Facebook page.

 Screening Committee Created

Earlier in November, the School Committee issued a call for applicants to form a Screening Committee that will be essential in reviewing applicants for the position and for helping the School Committee and the Collins Center team narrow down the pool of applicants to a short list of finalists who will participate in public interviews. As permitted by law, initial interviews will be conducted by the Screening Committee in Executive Session. The Committee will select finalists after initial application review, interviews, and incorporating public input from a series of listening sessions and a community survey. Finalists will be interviewed in a public forum in early 2023.

The Screening Committee members, selected by the School Committee in late November, are:

• Emily Ackman, Chair (School Committee member, Healey School parent)
• Ilana Krepchin (School Committee member, current high school parent and former Argenziano School parent)
• Andre Green (School Committee Chair, Healey School parent)
• Felix Caraballo (Principal, Capuano ECC)
• Isabel Barros (Interim Assistant Principal, WSNS)
• Charles Jabour (Drama Teacher, SHS)
• Angelique Santomauro (Dean of Students, Capuano ECC, Argenziano School parent)
• Uma Murugan (President, Winter Hill Community Innovation School PTA)
• Dennis Sullivan (former School Committee member, former City Councilor, Brown School parent)

Public Engagement Opportunities

Community input and feedback will play an important role in developing the profile and identifying core values for Somerville’s next Superintendent, and in helping the Screening Committee apply those values in their initial interviews with candidates. The Somerville community can provide feedback or be involved in any or all of the following ways:

1.      Public listening sessions. The School Committee will host a series of listening sessions in December, open to any and all community members. A full list of listening sessions is available at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/superintendent-search. The schedule will be updated as necessary. The current schedule is as follows:

Thursday, December 1, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street
Interpretation available: Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

Monday, December 5, 2022, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (for students)
Location: Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue

Tuesday, December 6, 2022, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (for SEU educators)
Location: Zoom meeting, Meeting ID: 829 0596 9058, Password: SPSSC22

Tuesday, December 6, 2022, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (for administrators)
Location: Zoom meeting, Meeting ID: 819 3483 7679, Password: SPSSC22

Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 829 0596 9058, Password: SPSSC22

Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (for SSEPAC)
Location: Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 829 0596 9058, Password: SPSSC22

Thursday, December 8, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 829 0596 9058, Password: SPSSC22
Interpretation available: Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (for MLEPAC)
Location: Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 829 0596 9058, Password: SPSSC22
Interpretation available: Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (for PTA Council, Parents/Guardians)
Location: West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powder House Boulevard

Thursday, December 15, 2022, 4:45 – 6:00 p.m.
Location: Mystic Learning Center, 530 Mystic Avenue

2.      Community survey. Beginning in early December, an online community survey will be available in English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish. The survey will be available on the Superintendent Search webpage, and will be shared through the SPS Facebook page and other electronic methods.

3.      Attend or view public interviews with finalists. Once the Screening Committee has narrowed the pool of applicants, finalists will be interviewed in a public forum. The forum will be broadcast on the city’s EducationTV channels. A date has not been set, but is anticipated to be in early 2023.