David Fleishman, Superintendent of the Newton Public Schools; Cynthia Paris Jeffries, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education; and Gil Lawrence, Assistant Director of Human Resources, were all in attendance at the Principal Coffee held on December 12. Approximately twenty Franklin parents and guardians participated in an information and feedback discussion on the search for a new principal for the Franklin.
A Selection Advisory Committee has been created consisting of:
- Four Franklin staff members
- Three Franklin parents/guardians
- One Newton Public School Principal
- One Newton Public School curriculum coordinator
- Cynthia Paris Jeffries, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education
- Gil Lawrence, Assistant Director of Human Resources
- Heather A. Richards, Director of Human Resources
David expects that there will be roughly twenty applicants largely made up of sitting principals from other districts and district curriculum coordinators. Prior leadership experience will be a critical factor as will be crisis management and their ability to set the culture of a school. If there isn’t a strong candidate, they will not settle. David doesn’t anticipate any issues, Concord is the only other town they are aware of that’s looking for an elementary school principal.
Upcoming dates -
On January 25th, final candidates will visit a Newton Elementary School and will be provided with scenarios to see how well they will listen, how they show empathy, etc. They will also visit classrooms and will be questioned on what they observed.
On February 8th, there will be an open meeting with parents at the Franklin to meet the final candidates. Each candidate will provide a five minute introduction and then will answer questions from parents. The purpose of this meeting will be to ascertain how well they respond to questions and think on their feet. The hiring team is looking for parents that can participate with all finalists in a small group setting. The commitment will be for approximately 90 minutes. There will also be an open meeting with the Franklin faculty on February 8th.
Following the visit to the Franklin, the hiring team will check the references for the finalists. Ideally, a single candidate will stand out and be a unanimous selection. If teachers and faculty are split, the superintendent will have the final word on appointing the new principal. David is targeting the announcement for the February break.
Questions from parents:
What does success in the first year look like for the new principal?
- Building trust and confidence with different stakeholders
- Building relationships
- Learning the school culture
- taking on pressing issues
- Lots of listening and learning
- Need to be very strong educationally
Are there existing challenges at the Franklin that you’re aware of?
- The Franklin has a lot of new teachers that need consistent support
Meeting attendees were then asked to share their search feedback for the new principal:
- What’s working well right now?
- What areas need the attention of a new principal?
- What qualities and attributes are you looking for in a principal?
