Parents Slam Superintendent Search Process at School Committee Meeting

Nine caregivers, members of the public, and teachers urged district leaders to halt the Cambridge superintendent search during Tuesday’s School Committee meeting, following months of controversy around the process.

“This process has been a failure of transparency and community involvement and must be reset,” Chris Montero, president of the Cambridge Education Association, said. Montero was one of the several residents who attended the meeting to advocate for the process to be restarted after the November elections.

Cambridge Public Schools has been without a permanent superintendent for more than a year, after School Committee members voted to remove Victoria L. Greer amid concerns about her management style. In July 2024, the committee appointed David G. Murphy as interim superintendent.

The School Committee has faced mounting backlash from local stakeholders who feel they have been left out of the ongoing search process. The CEA — the union representing district teachers and staff— issued a scathing statement last month urging for the search to be restarted with greater public input. Soon after, the union launched a petition to halt the search, which has since drawn more than 1,500 signatures.

Montero and others cited the petition as evidence of broad opposition and faulted the committee for dismissing public concerns. Several speakers also criticized the lack of communication and outreach in the process to date. Lilly Havstad, a CPS parent who is also running for School Committee this fall, echoed those frustrations.

“There has been little meaningful engagement with the educator, students, and families who will be most affected by this hire,” she said. “This is a failed search.”

The district partnered with private search firm The Equity Process and has named three finalists for the role — including Murphy. School Committee challenger Arjun K. Jaikumar criticized the process, calling it flawed and potentially biased toward the interim superintendent.

“There’s a widespread suspicion in the community that this search is, and has always been, conducted with the intention of hiring the current interim superintendent,” Jaikumar said.

“If he winds up getting the permanent job, he will take it under a cloud of suspicion that isn’t his fault. This process hasn’t served him well, or the other candidates either,” he added. “It’s past the point of last minute adjustments. It’s time to halt this search process and start over.”

CPS parent Rosa Rosario also stepped to speak, addressing the School Committee in Spanish to highlight her concerns about the superintendent process. But her time was interrupted as the committee attempted to find someone to translate. After several minutes of deliberation, members voted to suspend the rules and allow member José Luis Rojas Villarreal to translate and read Rosario’s written statement aloud after public comment ended.

Rosario said that she felt like the district had not adequately communicated to non-English speaking caregivers the details of the search process.

“Why does a district exclude our voices, like mothers, like fathers of color, if we don’t speak English? Why are we left outside from decision making, such as this one that’s so important? Why are we not informed directly in our language and in a clear manner?” her statement read, as translated by Rojas.

“This exclusion is not a small detail. It’s a lack of respect to our communities and to everything that we contribute towards public schools,” she added.

The School Committee organized three public forums with the CEA, the Cambridge Families of Color Coalition, and School Council Chairs last month to give stakeholders another chance to weigh in on the search. During the week of Sept. 15, committee members plan to conduct site visits to each candidate’s current district.

Cambridge residents will then meet the finalists the following week, with public interviews slated for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The committee expects to select the new superintendent on Oct. 6.

— 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.