Wareham School Committee names Amy Hartley Matson top choice after public interviews with three finalists

The Wareham School Committee on Nov. 6 interviewed three finalists for superintendent and voted to enter contract negotiations with Amy Hartley Matson, the assistant superintendent of Randolph Public Schools.

The interviews, conducted in public and each allotted roughly an hour and 15 minutes, brought consistent questions about why hundreds of Wareham students attend school outside the district, how to retain and recruit teachers, and how to raise literacy and overall academic performance. After a public deliberation following the interviews, the committee made the appointment motion and recorded a 4'1 vote to authorize negotiations with Matson.

Matson told the committee she would begin by listening and learning, noting she would "focus, especially the first 30 days, on listening and learning" as she gathers data and stakeholder input. She emphasized telling the district's story to the community, creating early K 12 connections so younger students see high-school pathways, and launching an intensive, district-wide literacy effort grounded in the science of reading. Matson said instructional coaches and progress monitoring would be critical to that work.

Two other finalists also spoke publicly. Wally Williams, principal of Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School, emphasized expanding Chapter 74 career-technical pathways and community outreach to demonstrate the value of the public schools. He described leading a 2,200-student vocational high school and said mentoring programs and strong onboarding were central to teacher retention. Eric Jaffe, assistant superintendent of Plymouth Public Schools and a former secondary principal, recommended diagnosing why families leave through surveys and exit interviews and cited his experience negotiating multiple bargaining units and creating specialized programs to attract students.

Committee members pressed all candidates on collective bargaining strategy, crisis communications, and specific initiatives to address long-term declines in state assessment results. Matson proposed a multi-part literacy plan backed by progress monitoring and coaching; Williams and Jaffe likewise emphasized early literacy and multi-tiered supports but differed in their programmatic priorities and examples from their districts.

After the public interviews, the committee recessed for deliberation in open session. A motion to appoint Matson was made, seconded and approved on a recorded tally reported in the meeting as 4 in favor, 1 opposed and 0 abstentions; the committee then voted to reconsider and adopted the appointment in a subsequent roll-call motion with the same reported tally. The motion authorized the superintendent or a designated negotiator to begin contract talks with Matson; the committee noted negotiations do not guarantee a final agreement.

The committee praised the search committee, the consultant from MASS/MASC who assisted the process and the three finalists. The search committee's public materials and the committee's discussion indicated the district will prioritize community outreach, pathways that retain students, early literacy and sustaining recent academic momentum as part of the next superintendent's agenda.

Next steps: the district will begin contract negotiations with Matson and return to the committee with any executed contract for public vote. If negotiations fail, the committee retains discretion to reopen talks or select an alternate candidate.