November 10, 2020
Town of Reading Community Members
Re: Superintendent of School Search
The Reading School Committee is currently searching for the next Superintendent of Schools, to begin serving on July 1, 2021. To help the Committee with this most important decision, we are seeking individuals to serve on an advisory Screening Committee to review applications, interview semi-finalists, and recommend finalists to the School Committee.
The Screening Committee will be comprised of 15 individuals representing various groups as follows:
- 2 School Committee Members
- 1 Central Office Administrator
- 1 Building Principal
- 4 Staff Members – 1 each from RISE, Elementary, Middle, and High School
- 5 Parents with representation across the following categories: RISE, Elementary, Middle, High School, SEPAC, and METCO
- Town Manager
- Chief of Police or School Resource Officer
This important task will require Screening Committee members to commit to the below meeting schedule. It is extremely important that members commit to all the dates and be present for all the semi-finalist interviews.
- Tuesday, January 5 at 7:00 PM – Meet with search consultant Dorothy Presser of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), receive charge from the School Committee, arrange to receive candidate materials, and begin to formulate interview questions.
- Monday, January 11 at 7:00 PM – Select semi-finalists and finalize questions.
- Evening of Tuesday, January 19 – Semi-finalist interview(s)
- Evening of Wednesday, January 20 – Semi-finalist interview(s)
- Morning of Saturday, January 23 – Semi-finalist interview(s)
- Evening of Tuesday, January 26 – Semi-finalist interview(s)
- Evening of Wednesday, January 27 – Semi-finalist interview(s) and finalist selection
Please make sure that you are available on all these dates prior to submitting a letter of interest.
Letters of Interest should be addressed to the Chair of the Reading School Committee and submitted to Linda Engelson via e-mail at Linda.Engelson@reading.k12.ma.us by 5 pm Thursday, November 19, 2020. In your letter, please identify the group that you wish to represent from the categories above and outline your qualifications for the Committee. Applicants should have the ability to work as part of a team and have a strong interest in the Reading Public Schools. Committee members must commit to keep the proceedings completely confidential. The selection of Screening Committee members will be announced at the School Committee meeting on Thursday, December 3, 2020.
On behalf of the Reading School Committee, I would like to thank you in advance for your participation in this, especially important decision.
Mr. Charles Robinson
School Committee Chair
