EDITORIAL

Time for team building

Posted 7/9/15

There being few alternatives, it now appears the School Committee will do what Mayor Scott Avedisian and others in the community have suggested for some time: reopen its search for a …

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EDITORIAL

Time for team building

Posted

There being few alternatives, it now appears the School Committee will do what Mayor Scott Avedisian and others in the community have suggested for some time: reopen its search for a superintendent.

Based on what Committee Chair Jennifer Ahearn has told us in response to email questions and what is listed on the agenda, the topic of the superintendent will come up at next Tuesday’s meeting. It would appear from Ahearn’s comments that the committee is leaning toward naming an interim while it conducts a search to replace Richard D’Agostino, who retires on July 13.

Meanwhile, as reported in today’s Beacon, William McCaffrey, who knows the Warwick system and is presently director of the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, has volunteered to hold the positions of interim superintendent and center director.

The superintendent’s post is not the only one with a vacancy. Dennis Mullen is leaving the post of secondary education director, and Marie Cote has made clear her choice to step down as Pilgrim High School principal.

Gerald Habershaw, principal of Vets, has offered to fill both the Vets and Pilgrim jobs in the upcoming academic year. His proposal has a lot of merit, as Vets is slated to close as a high school and be re-purposed as a middle school as Aldrich and Gorton Junior High Schools are consolidated. Habershaw knows both the Pilgrim and Vets communities, and he could offer a level of continuity for Vets students who would be attending Pilgrim in the fall of 2016.

We find both of these developments – the fact if there is a plan for the superintendent of schools, the community hasn’t been made aware of it, and that people within the system are offering their leadership – worthy of comment.

Maybe everything will get spelled out on July 14, which would be reassuring, but thus far the search for superintendent has been clouded by rumors and less than transparent. The committee never disclosed the short list of candidates, and while there was an online survey, the public never learned by what criteria the committee would evaluate candidates. The process was secretive, and we believe in violation of the Open Meetings Act (the attorney general will decide that). Moreover, it was cause for distrust and a pervasive feeling that the district lacks leadership.

On the other hand, we are encouraged by the offers of McCaffrey and Habershaw. It can be argued both are stepping forward in their own best interests. That’s fine and, in fact, good. Their actions reflect their commitment and belief in the Warwick school system and willingness in this period of uncertainty to step forward and lead.

We hope that the School Committee views these offers in such a light and encourages others to reach beyond their job definitions to help. The department has good and capable people. Let’s rally them to the cause of building the best system to educate our young people.

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