Reviewing the search committee list makes me view a delay in selecting a new middle school principal even more important. Not only will the new superintendent have no say when there is opportunity to build part of one's own team, but the lack of resident parents and community representation is insulting. When Sharon Hobbs was selected many years ago, there was at least one community representative that was part of the search committee. I know that for a fact since I was on that committee.
Barbara Low ________________________________ From: Lincoln <[email protected]> on behalf of Peter Buchthal <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2023 4:21 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Let's not rush choosing our new Middle School Principal Andy, Jessica is not a Lincoln parent nor a Lincoln resident. She is a Metco parent. I'm a bit shocked why we didn't have at least a couple of Lincoln resident parents to represent the 400+ students from the town of Lincoln. Once the Superintendent gave notice that she is retiring, the scope of her work responsibilities automatically changed. The document you linked to never considered the unusual conditions of Superintendent responsibilities during the period after giving notice until a new Superintendent comes on board. I feel strongly that It is not fair to ask a new Superintendent to make important decisions before she is a full time employee of the town. Best, Peter Buchthal Candidate for School Committee On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 3:27 PM Andy Wang <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Peter, Was that accurate to say 'by a Committee that shockingly does not include a single Lincoln parent or resident-at-large'? Jessica Llaverias is listed as a parent. Search Committee: Superintendent – Becky McFall Assistant Superintendent – Jess Rose Middle School Principal – Erich Ledebuhr Lincoln School Principal – Sarah Collmer Administrator for Student Services – Lisa Berard Interim Student Services Coordinator/Special Educator – Keriann Gilman Classroom Teacher – Julie Barkin Classroom Teacher – Amanda Sykes Classroom Teacher – Karen Sheppard Administrative School Secretary – Maureen Belt Parent – Jessica Llaverias Also, I believe the staffing responsibility for principals falls on the superintendent, not the school committee. (https://www.lincnet.org/cms/lib/MA01001239/Centricity/domain/3/public_documents/process/SCSupRoles.pdf). There is a clear separation of roles listed. - Andy On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 3:09 PM Peter Buchthal <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Dear School Committee Members and Lincoln Talk, If you agree with my email below, please forward this email to the [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with your agreement that we should hold off on hiring a new Middle School principal. I believe we are about to make a big mistake. In our hurry to find a new Principal for the Middle School, the School Committee has forgotten about the importance of our new Superintendent getting the opportunity to build his/her own team. As many of you know, our Middle School principal Sharon Hobbs is retiring at the end of this school year. Our current plan<https://www.lincnet.org/Page/5815> is to have our retiring Superintendent run point on the search, selecting candidates and conducting interviews before we have even had a chance to select our new Superintendent. The retiring Superintendent will be assisted by a Committee that shockingly does not include a single Lincoln parent or resident-at-large. Our incoming Superintendent will only have a token opportunity to bless the candidate selected by the current Administration team. Given the immense importance of getting this candidate right and ensuring that our new Superintendent is set for success, I strongly encourage the School Committee to put this process on hold. Our new Superintendent should have an opportunity to become acquainted with our school to properly determine the specific skills required for the job before beginning this process. At a future time,our new Superintendent should have the opportunity to lead this process and have a say on the Search Committee members and the candidates selected. Said Committee should make a real effort to get a strong contingent of Lincoln parents and residents representing a broad spectrum of views. Our new Superintendent might decide that the school would be better served by placing an interim Principal and in my opinion that would be fine. We will be better off waiting for the right person who can work together effectively with our new Superintendent than rushing to make a subpar decision that impairs our school. Best, Peter Buchthal Candidate for School Committee -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
-- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
