Two search firms outline superintendent search plans, fees; committee asks about timelines and guarantees

Representatives from two search firms presented competing approaches to Wareham Public Schools’ superintendent search at the April 17 school committee meeting, outlining outreach, community engagement, interview procedures and pricing as the district prepares to start a search next fall for a superintendent to begin in the 2026–27 school year.

Sean Costello, field representative for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, described MASC’s “full search” package and a lower-cost technical-assistance option for member districts. “Our contract fee is $11,500 for that search,” Costello said, adding that the association can run community surveys, convene focus groups, draft a vacancy brochure, collect and screen applications, train search committees on open-meeting-law requirements and run finalist site visits.

Costello said MASC commonly begins the public-facing part of a search in September and that the association would manage confidential stages of semifinalist review in executive session, then announce finalists publicly after the school committee votes to accept them. He told the committee MASC has an extra expense “ceiling” of up to $2,500 for travel and incidental costs but said he did not expect it to be reached in Wareham because he lives nearby.

NESDAC representative Dr. Friesberg (senior search consultant) said her firm follows a similar sequence—orientation, an informational letter and broad advertising, a community needs assessment with focus groups and surveys, screening by a community-based screening committee, and finalist interviews for the school committee. She said NESDAC performs credential checks and two “agreements in principle” calls with finalists to confirm salary expectations and fit before finalists are named public.

“Once we write the questions, that is an open session,” Dr. Friesberg said, noting screening committee questioning and orientation are public; she added she would train the screening committee on confidentiality and the open-meeting law. She also described a standard follow-up: meeting with a newly hired superintendent about entry planning about a month after the hire.

Committee members asked similar practical questions of both presenters. Several sought reassurance about whether MASC or NESDAC would continue to assist if a district did not feel any finalist was acceptable or if a hire left early. Costello said MASC would “stay with you until you find the superintendent” and would reopen a search under its warranty if a superintendent left within two years. Dr. Friesberg said NESDAC would “come back and do the search again at no charge if there’s a problem,” language that she said is included in the firm’s materials.

Members also asked about out-of-state candidates and the likelihood they would be hired. Costello said he frequently sees out-of-state applicants and that “it’s really dependent on what the district feels they need,” adding he has seen out-of-state applicants interviewed though not often ultimately hired in towns this size. Dr. Friesberg said national applicants often apply but that many school committees prefer regional candidates because travel and relocation can affect a candidate’s willingness to accept.

Both presenters emphasized the community needs assessment and screening-committee training as central to finding a candidate who fits Wareham’s priorities. Costello highlighted MASC’s experience training search committees about confidentiality and open-meeting-law compliance, and Dr. Friesberg described producing a written profile from focus groups and surveys that drives questioning and finalist selection.

Neither presentation produced a decision at the meeting. Committee members indicated they would review both proposals, confirm desired search scope (full-service vs. technical assistance), and decide whether to start public recruitment in September. Both firms provided contact information and said they were available to answer additional questions.

What’s next: the committee still must decide whether to hire a search firm and, if so, which scope of services to buy. Committee members said they planned to use the summer and early fall to finalize the timeline and the composition of a screening committee.

Sources: Meeting presentation by Sean Costello, Mass. Association of School Committees, and presentation by Dr. Friesberg, NESDAC; questions and remarks from Wareham School Committee members recorded April 17, 2025.