Cambridge School Committee Applications for Superintendent Open on Friday

Cambridge Public Schools will begin accepting applications for the Superintendent position at the end of this week, aiming to start candidate interviews before the end of the school year and confirm their choice before the November committee elections.

The School Committee is gearing up for the search, passing a motion in a Tuesday meeting that allows them to directly hire a search firm, given that none satisfied their original Invitation to Bid requirements. Tuesday’s change allows the committee to move forward with the search process on their projected timeline.

Ashley Pierre, CPS Executive Director of Human Resources, emphasized the importance of gathering input on what Cambridge residents want in the next Superintendent at the meeting. She also confirmed that the district will host several “community engagement” events throughout May, in addition to a district-wide survey.

Pierre added that the events are designed to “actually gather feedback where it doesn’t seem like we’re just using them for data, but using them to know that we are here to service their needs in the Cambridge community,” she said.

Committee member Richard Harding Jr., raised concerns that not all voices in Cambridge will be heard, saying that it is crucial to gain as many perspectives as possible when going through this process.

“We understand how hard it’s going to be to reach some of these more difficult populations that may not be the most surveyable,” he said.

In response, Pierre said that as “somebody who’s actually from that community” whose concerns often go unheard, she is committed to including all voices in the search process.

“I just know where those pockets are in the community, and how to engage them, and where to engage them, and so I am ready to do that work,” she said. “I’m committed to that work. I’m committed to the Cambridge Public Schools.”

During public comment, two Cambridge residents raised concerns that the search timeline is being rushed, even as the district has been without a permanent superintendent for nearly a year.

“I think it is safe to say the search timeline, which was tight and probably unrealistic from the start, is falling apart,” Jessica D. Goetz, a CPS parent, said.

Lilly Havstad specifically criticized the decision to select a candidate before the election, considering the School Committee composition may well change after voters head to the polls. “The reason that concerns me is I’m not sure whose interest that is in at this point,” Havstad, a CPS parent, said.

“If I were a candidate, I would be deeply concerned and weary of accepting a job from a School Committee that may not still be a School Committee in a couple of months because of the election,” she added.

In response to these concerns, committee member David J. Weinstein clarified that the current timeline is aligned with when the largest number of candidates would “typically” be applying for superintendent roles, and is not meant to be rushed.

Weinstien clarified that if the committee does not hire a superintendent before the election, the decision would be delayed until at least January, when the new committee members take their seats.

“And if that’s the case, I would anticipate that the new committee would need some time to really understand who was applying and all of that,” he said.

“I wouldn’t expect somebody to come in and rubber stamp a decision made by other people,” Weinstein added.

— Staff writer Ayaan Ahmad can be reached at ayaan.ahmad@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @AyaanAhmad2024.

— Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at claire.michal@thecrimson.com.