At stake in superintendent search
In today’s Sun, the “Column” mentions the compensation discrepancy between outgoing Lowell Superintendent Baehr and other school chiefs from smaller districts (such as Tewksbury paying about $35K more with less than a third of the students). Last week, I wrote about the issue here, and frankly, it still rankles: Having to pay thousands more to attract someone to replace Dr. Baehr adds insult to injury considering the demonstrated progress under her leadership. Interestingly, the same paper that spent months attacking the superintendent and her supporters (myself included), now has plenty of ink to devote to the costs associated with replacing her. On top of that, the recent delay tactic regarding the search for her replacement will not help the district attract the most qualified candidates—assuming, of course, that’s the primary objective of all those involved in the process. (Since some campaigned on the claim—which also got lots of ink despite little evidence—that the superintendent did not hire or promote enough Lowellians, there is the possibility that these players want to limit the outside talent pool or at the very least, have tight control of the process.) Regardless of the timing, transparency, or inclusiveness of the search, without competitive compensation, choices will be limited. A teacher I saw this morning put it this way: “You shouldn’t have to be altruistic to be superintendent in Lowell.” I agree, but this search is not only about paying more in times of shrinking resources. Given the job’s importance and the impact visionary leadership has had on student learning here, the real issue is the quality of education our children receive after Dr. Baehr. With student learning at stake, personal-political agendas could have devastating consequences, so pay attention please and be involved.