MASC Field Director Lisa Lafond (bottom) meets with the School Committee to discuss searching for a candidate to fill the superintendent vacancy.
Photo credit: SHCTV15
SOUTH HADLEY — During its April 17 meeting, the School Committee met with a member from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to discuss a superintendent search.
MASC Field Director Liz Lafond was at the meeting to help guide the School Committee on the steps and timeline to find a superintendent.
At the last School Committee meeting on April 3, Superintendent Mark McLauglin announced this would be his final year serving in South Hadley.
In January 2023, the School Committee promoted at the time acting Superintendent McLaughlin to the role of interim superintendent following the formal resignation of previous Superintendent Dr. Jahmal Mosley in December 2022.
After serving as interim superintendent, the School Committee then unanimously approved to name Mark McLaughlin as superintendent for the 2024-25 school year.
“I’m very proud of a lot of the work that we’ve been able to do in South Hadley during some challenging times so it is because of that I say with some regret that I have decided nevertheless that this will my last year in South Hadley as superintendent.”
McLaughlin stated that he thought about making this decision around a year ago, but stayed after the Mosier Elementary School Building project was accepted into the eligibility period.
“I really wanted to kind of see that through,” McLaughlin stated.
Even when the School Committee voted to name him superintendent, School Committee Chair Eric Friesner explained the reasoning for just a one-year contract because McLaughlin “lives mighty far away.”
Through his four years, McLaughlin calculated that he has spent 3,600 hours in the car for commuting and stated, “for the sake of my family and myself, I think the time has come to seek a little bit of a different direction so that I can have a little bit more time in my life.”
Lafond mentioned, “[We’re] currently in a near drought for [a] serious contender for the role of superintendent here in Western Massachusetts.”
She recently worked with two separate communities looking for superintendents and advised them that if they had a strong internal candidate, that they should give that candidate serious consideration “given the landscape with available candidates.”
After doing full searches, it took one community two and a half months and the other three months before eventually hiring their interim.
Lafond also alluded to the fact that South Hadley might have a few strong internal candidates. She said, “South Hadley is fortunate to have a strong leader, second in command in your district who might have some interest in becoming your next superintendent. If what you already have is working really well, why look anywhere else?”
She also stated that MASC would be there to help if South Hadley decides to do a full search, but said, “you are absolutely at the worst time of year to do a full search. What you essentially have at this stage of the game are the remaining candidates who haven’t been hired in any other district and the possibility that a unicorn exists somewhere that will drop out of the sky and into your laps is not really a strong possibility, but it does exist.”
Lafond said she usually recommends that School Committees name an interim superintendent and then begin a search in the fall.
School Committee member Jack Witkowski said an informal meet and greet may be a good idea to talk to the community about potential interim options and learn what the community is looking for.
Lafond said a potential next step could be to make an internal posting because “putting up a posting in the district is probably a good idea. It also shows other staff members that you value their thoughts and ideas. I think you’ll find people coming to you with their opinions and ideas on whom might best lead the district.”
The School Committee approved authorizing Friesner to follow up with McLaughlin and post the position internally.
