Candidates Vie to Head City Schools

Parents, teachers, and administrators crowded into the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School cafeteria to meet the three final candidates for Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent in a town hall meeting last night.

The finalists, Mary C. Nash, Carolyn L. Turk, and Jeffrey M. Young, answered questions submitted by audience members, which covered topics including special education, standardized testing, and diversity.

“We do these sessions across the country and this is by far the largest group that I have seen for a school district this size,” said Al Johnson, a consultant from the firm hired by the district to oversee the superintendent search. “That’s a real compliment to this community.”

The search has been in progress since December, a month after former Superintendent Thomas D. Fowler-Finn’s early departure from the district. The application process closed in late February. From a pool of over 30 applicants, the school committee then selected semi-finalists, who were interviewed in a closed process. The finalists were publicly announced last week.

Nash, the first candidate to speak, is currently one of the academic superintendents for Boston Public Schools.

She noted that it is essential for central administration and individual schools to work together. “Shared decision-making is the cornerstone of the schoolhouse,” she said.

On two occasions Nash said that she was not familiar with all aspects of Cambridge Public Schools and could not answer those questions.

In response to a budget question, Nash said, “I’m very good with finance and budgets, but I have not seen Cambridge Public Schools’ budget at all, so I’m not prepared to answer that.”

Turk, who has been the district’s deputy superintendent since 2002 and is serving as the interim superintendent, was the second candidate to speak. She highlighted her 32-year involvement with the district and her many relationships with city residents as major strengths.

She also stressed that Cambridge’s diversity is one of the city’s major strengths, as well as a great challenge.

“If we build a culture right from the beginning that says people are different, then it’s a norm for our students,” Turk said. “Children understand that we have a variety of people within our community.”

In her closing remarks, which earned her much applause, Turk reassured the audience that she is prepared to be the leader of the district.

“I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and do some serious problem solving with the school committee,” she said. “And there will be times when we don’t see eye to eye but the outcome will be the best for kids.”

Young, the last speaker, is the current Newton Public Schools Superintendent.

He said one of the aspects of the Cambridge community that excited him was its potential to form many partnerships with local universities and businesses, although he added that he valued “quality over quantity.”

He also emphasized that he would not impose any policies without consulting the community.

“It would be presumptuous for me to say we’re going to do A, B, C,” he said. “I am not the kind of superintendent who is going to enter a district and say ‘I know better.’ How foolish. What a recipe for failure.”

Heather Hoffman, a parent of an Amigos School student, said that she thought Young was the best candidate of the three.

“If he means what he says then he is what I have been wishing for in a superintendent.”

Chris G. Edel, a parent with a son at the Tobin School, said he thought Turk was “competent” but that he would prefer someone new.

“It seems like we could use some energy and new life, especially in the special education area,” he said.

The finalists will be interviewed tonight at 6 p.m. in an open meeting at CRLS. The decision will be made by the school committee and announced within the next two weeks.

—Staff writer Sofia E. Groopman can be reached at segroopm@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Michelle L. Quach can be reached at mquach@fas.harvard.edu.