by Hillary I. Borrud

An educational consulting firm hired by Somerville public schools will meet with the school committee to present five semi-finalists for the position of superintendent.

     The announcement of the semi-finalists will be followed by a series of public interviews in late January and early February to select three finalists.

“Choosing the superintendent is the most important decision we can make. I think the people of Somerville realize how important it is,” said Carolyn Taylor, chair of the school board’s personnel sub-committee, during the first four months of the superintendent selection process.

In an attempt to attract highly qualified candidates, Somerville advertised that the position would pay up to $160,000 per year.

Taylor said that the consultants urged the district to increase the salary in order to be competitive with other communities in Massachusetts. “We wanted to be competitive.”

Somerville Schools chose the consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd. of Glenview, IL to identify the needs of the district and manage the recruitment of candidates. On Nov. 17, 2004, the firm presented a leadership profile report to the school board. The report is available to the public on the Somerville Public Schools Web site. <>

Current Superintendent Al Argenziano said the report was an accurate summary of what Somerville educators and the community would like to see in the next superintendent.

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“That’s exactly what they’re looking for,” he said.

Experience in a multi-cultural environment, effective communication skills, and directness and fairness with faculty, staff and parents topped the list of characteristics desired in the next superintendent. After the Somerville School Committee identified stakeholders in the selection process, such as students and teachers, the consultants set out to identify the needs of these groups. The final report drawn up by the consultants includes data from the 135 “Leadership Profile Assessment Forms” filled out by stakeholders, as well as meetings with individuals and focus groups.

Taylor said that the School Committee is looking for a well-rounded candidate. “You want a superintendent that can fill all these roles,” she said. Taylor said that she would like to see “someone with a real passion for education” who is also excited about coming to Somerville. She said that although business experience is part of the job, the superintendent needs to have a passion for education, excellence and equity. “I’m looking for an educator,” she said.

The School Committee is not looking for candidates who would undertake drastic changes in Somerville Schools, Taylor said. She said that the district is looking for someone who will respect the system as it is because it works, but that this person should be able to move forward at the same time. “It’s a working system, so we’re looking for someone who’s going to take us farther.” Taylor would like to see candidates “who will listen to us.”

Taylor said that Massachusetts law requires that interviews for superintendent be open to the public. The School Committee is still deciding on the exact format of the semi-finalist interviews that will be held on Jan. 31, Feb. 2 and Feb. 3. During the interviews, members of the community will be able to pose questions to applicants. Taylor said that the School Committee will probably ask people to write their questions down so that the Committee can check for duplicate questions.

Superintendent Argenziano said that after the interviews in January and February, the School Board will identify the finalists and rank them in order of preference. At the end of February, Somerville Schools will conduct a site visit at the location of their first-choice candidate.

Argenziano said that if the district is satisfied with the visit and the candidate accepts the position, the candidate would hopefully resign from his or her current job within 90 days and be in Somerville by July 1. Argenziano also said that the current Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Administration, Marie Ferrari, has been open about application for the position.

In addition to identifying qualities and skill sets desired in candidates for superintendent, the report by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd. cited several positive features and successes of Somerville Schools. “Unique to Somerville is its many residents who have strong family ties to the community,” the report said. According to the report, parents appreciate the emphasis on maintaining small class size, the diversity of curricula options and new buildings. They are very supportive of the all-day pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs. A significant concern among Somerville parents is “the decrease in the percentage of residents with children of school age,” the report said.