The Holyoke School Committee discusses its superintendent search during it Jan. 26 meeting.
Photo credit: Holyoke Media
HOLYOKE — The Superintendent Screening Committee announced that they are recommending three candidates for the next superintendent for Holyoke Public Schools.
The candidates, according to the committee, are Annie Azarloza, Jacqueline Glasheen and Carmen Melendez Quintero.
Azarloza is currently the interim superintendent of schools at Northumberland, Stratford & Stark Schools in Groveton, N.H.
Glasheen is currently the assistant superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools, and Quintero is the executive director of inclusive education at Boston City Schools.
In total, nine applications for the superintendent position were received by the Dec. 23 deadline. From there, the 12-member committee reviewed all applications and selected five candidates for confidential semi-finalist interviews, which were completed on Jan. 21.
The committee shared their recommendations for finalists during the School Committee meeting on Jan. 26.
“After … careful deliberation after the interviews, the Search Committee reached consensus on three candidates to recommend for public interviews,” Craven stated.
Under the search timeline outlined, School Committee members are expected to select a new superintendent later this winter, and the new superintendent expected to begin work effective July 1.
Interviews and site visits are planned for mid-February, according to the committee. “Teams of School Committee members, two or three per group will visit the districts of the people who are applying for the job to meet with students, administrators, co-workers, all the different types of groups of people,” said School Committee member Devin Sheehan.
School Committee Chair Yadilette Rivera Colón talked about the candidates, stating, “We are thrilled to have such a strong candidate pool. I extend my thanks to every applicant who expressed interest in helping lead Holyoke Public Schools into its next chapter. I look forward to getting to know our finalists over the coming weeks as we move the search process into the final stages.”
Mayor Joshua Garcia submitted a statement to the community about the search process, “I am confident that this deliberate and inclusive search will result in a superintendent who is committed to equity, excellence, and the success of every student in Holyoke Public Schools,” he said. “I encourage our community to stay engaged as this process continues and to support our schools every step of the way.”
Colón explained that the candidates will “most likely” visit Holyoke on Feb. 10,, Feb. 11 and Feb. 12 for the candidates to learn about the school district in preparation for the public interview during their respective evening.
The current plan is for the School Committee to plan, deliberate and vote after the last public interview on Feb. 12. The public interviews will take place in the Holyoke High School Dean Tech Campus cafeteria. There will also be a zoom link available for those who want to watch remotely.
At the Jan. 26 meeting, the School Committee approved voting for the new superintendent through a written ballot.
Each ballot will contain the name of the member casting the ballot and the name of the candidate for superintendent for whom the vote is cast.
Upon completion of the balloting, the chair will read the ballots aloud in no particular order. A candidate will be appointed only after receiving six votes or more.
Future coverage of the superintendent process will be forthcoming from Reminder Publishing.
