The School Committee announced some of the people who will serve on the Superintendent Search Committee during its Oct. 8 meeting.
Photo credit: E-Media
EASTHAMPTON — With the school district in the midst of finding its next superintendent, the Easthampton School Committee announced the majority of the Superintendent Search Committee during its Oct. 8 regular meeting.
According to the Easthampton Public School district website, the School Committee was looking for 10 voting members to join the Superintendent Search Committee, which will assist in the process of finding the right applicant. The committee will consist of three parent volunteers, three staff volunteers one Easthampton High School student volunteer and three administrative representatives.
The district website also stated that one parent and one staff member will be chosen to represent each school in the department, and preference will be given for one parent of a special education student at any grade level and one special education staff member from any grade level.
Members of the public had until Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. to apply to be on the search committee.
During its Oct. 8 meeting, the School Committee voted to elect the three parent volunteers and the one student representative to serve on the search committee. Jennifer Cameron will serve as the elementary level parent representative, Drea Marks will be the middle school parent representative and Hannah Sullivan will serve as the high school parent representative.
“We’re so grateful for all these parents who put themselves out there to volunteer their time,” said Easthampton School Committee Chair Laura Scott. “It is not an insignificant commitment, and we’re deeply appreciative.”
The School Committee also chose Walter Baker as the student representative for the search committee after the School Committee received two applications. Scott said both students who applied were “very well qualified,” but one of the students had a scheduling conflict which is why Baker was ultimately chosen.
According to Scott, the School Committee only received one applicant on that staff side, which means they are still looking for two more staff members in the district and three administrators to serve on the search committee. The goal is to have those positions filled by the next regular meeting.
“We will be filling the remaining staff and admin slots, that’s five slots total over the next couple of days, and we’ll have an announcement on that at the next meeting,” Scott said.
Once the search committee is officially filled, they are required to attend evening meetings on Oct. 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, Nov. 1 and 4, according to the School Committee.
Concurrently, the city is searching for a permanent superintendent with hopes of having one chosen before the winter holidays, according to Scott.
The superintendent will begin their term in July.
The search process for a new permanent superintendent in Easthampton comes after a tumultuous couple of years and a previously failed superintendent search in 2023 that made national news. Eventually, the department named former Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Maureen Binienda as the interim superintendent in Easthampton in June 2023. She has been serving in that role since then. In order to stay on as the superintendent for the 2024-25 school year, the district needed approval from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
For more information about the previous search and the process leading to the new one check out Reminder Publishing’s previous coverage here: tinyurl.com/2u9c9ut5.
