Beverly School Committee votes to begin external superintendent search, hires MASC for full service

Rachel Abel, president of the Beverly Public Schools School Committee, opened a special Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 29 by saying the committee would decide how to conduct a superintendent search after receiving a letter indicating the current superintendent intends to retire before the Jan. 30, 2025 contract deadline.

The committee voted 6–0 to begin an external search that permits internal candidates to apply and be given the same consideration as outside applicants. Rachel Abel said the meeting’s objectives were to decide the search scope, consider contracted search services and advertising, and form a screening or search committee.

The committee then moved to engage the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) for full‑service search support. Emma Puglisi, the district’s director of finance, reported there are about $13,000 remaining in the district’s “reserved for negotiations” account that could be used toward a consultant; Puglisi also said other school‑committee line items could cover additional costs. MASC provided a contract price quoted at $11,500 plus reasonable expenses. The motion to have the chair engage MASC’s full‑service package passed by roll call, with five members voting yes and one abstention. Lorenda Biznick said she would abstain because of her current role with UMass.

Committee members discussed alternatives: the Collins Center at UMass Boston previously supported Beverly’s last external search but currently lacks the same staffing to provide an identical scope; NESDEC was mentioned but the district is not a current member and would need to reinstate membership to obtain a quote. Members also described a “self‑service” option in which district leaders could run the search using existing templates.

To collect applications for the screening/selection committee, the…