4 Finalists Selected in Search for Next Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent

Four finalists have been selected in the ongoing search for Cambridge’s next superintendent, Mayor E. Denise Simmons announced in a Tuesday School Committee meeting.

The finalists’ names will be released publicly on Aug. 11.

The announcement comes months after the district began the search process, and more than a year since the former superintendent, Victoria L. Greer, resigned following controversy over her hiring practices and handling of toxicity allegations at Graham & Parks Elementary School.

The position has been filled by interim superintendent David G. Murphy since Greer’s resignation. Murphy has received positive feedback from the School Committee and may be a frontrunner for the permanent position, though it is unknown whether he is one of the four finalists.

The district opened applications for the superintendent seat in early May, partnering with The Equity Process, a local search firm that supports school systems through equity-focused leadership recruitment, community engagement, and hiring practices. Applications for the position closed on June 6.

In May and June, the district held five community forums, one staff forum, and one student forum to gather input from stakeholders on their priorities for the next superintendent and the interview process. The forums were moderated independently by a Boston University professor, and the results were consolidated and presented in a public hearing on June 20.

In early June, the search firm and three School Committee members — David J. Weinstein, Rachel B. Weinstein, and Elizabeth C.P. Hudson — anonymously screened 24 applications to determine which candidates met the basic qualifications to advance to the semifinal round.

The semifinalist interview panel consisted of 17 individuals. Each School Committee member appointed two local representatives, accounting for 14 members, and the remaining three seats were held by Simmons, School Committee Vice Chair Caroline Hunter, and Committee member Richard Harding Jr. The panel interviewed semifinalists on July 15 and 16.

The identity of the 14 appointed members on the panel is currently confidential, but they consisted of CPS staff, teachers, a student, parents, and other Cambridge stakeholders. Each member signed a nondisclosure agreement, and it is unclear exactly how the four finalists were selected.

According to the district, the process has been kept confidential to protect the identity of applicants and semi-finalists who did not end up making it to the final round, and to make sure the search runs smoothly.

But some stakeholders and School Committee members feel that they have been left in the dark. In Tuesday’s meeting, Hudson pressed Simmons to explain how the four finalists were chosen, but received no definitive answer.

“Let me talk to The Equity Process and come back to the school committee, because we did sign an NDA,” Simmons said. “I believe in Cambridge knowing and giving information to people. I think that’s wonderful. But I also want to respect the integrity of the process.”

“All that information will certainly be forthcoming,” she added.

Hudson, however, expressed alarm at what she saw as a lack of transparency.

“I think part of respecting the integrity process is understanding what it is,” Hudson said. “I am frankly alarmed that nobody can speak to how our four finalists were chosen. That makes absolutely no sense to me. I would love to know. I will demand to know.”

Frustration with the search process has been brewing among some CPS employees and Cambridge residents since long before Tuesday’s meeting. During public comment and in interviews with The Crimson, several parents and educators said they thought the seven stakeholder forums weren’t enough.

Cambridge Education Association President Chris Montero said during public comment that engagement from CEA members and caregivers has been “non-existent” and described district efforts to hold forums and gather input as “performative at best.”

“These are not meaningful attempts to involve people. It’s clear that boxes are just meaning to be checked,” he said.

Several people also voiced concern about how the semi-finalist interview panel was selected, alleging that individuals without personal connections to School Committee members were left out of the loop.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Hudson said that the 14 members on the interview panel should be made public. She said panelists’ names had been disclosed in previous searches, and that keeping the list confidential loses trust from the public.

“It’s a list of which I think we should be proud. So I don’t know why we’re hesitating, but it makes it look like we’re hiding something when we’re not,” Hudson said.

On Tuesday, the district informed the four finalists and notified the remaining semi-finalists that they would not be moving forward in the process. The search firm is currently conducting reference checks on the finalists, which will conclude on Friday. The finalists have until Friday to confirm that they would like to move forward with the process.

Three public forums with the CEA, Cambridge Families of Color Coalition, and School Council Chairs, will be held in mid-August to gather further input on what stakeholders would like to see in the interview process.

The final interviews of the candidates by the School Committee will be held publicly on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, and the committee will vote on its appointee on Oct. 6.

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