Holyoke School Committee opens superintendent search, approves posting and outlines community recruitment

The School Committee voted on Nov. 3 to advance the district’s superintendent search after a presentation from consultant Glenn Kucher.

Kucher reviewed proposed decision criteria and candidate qualifications and urged flexibility—advising the committee to list years of experience as preferred rather than mandatory to widen the candidate pool. He recommended convening focus groups and running a bilingual survey to gather community priorities and suggested the committee appoint 2–3 members to work closely with the consultant and staff on screening and outreach.

Committee member Stephen (Mister) Sheehan moved to post the superintendent position with a compensation posting range and with “all applicable benefits of City of Holyoke employees.” The motion was seconded and adopted by roll call.

The committee debated the composition and size of the search/screening committee, with Sheehan proposing 11–13 members and other members pushing for a balance of residents, school staff and community stakeholders. Committee members discussed outreach methods (listservs, principal announcements, and direct invitation to student applicants) and a timeline that would allow focus groups and initial screening before December, with finalists presented to the committee in early to mid‑January.

The committee also authorized the vice chair to make non‑substantive, day‑to‑day decisions needed to keep the process moving (calendar changes, deadline adjustments), and directed staff to bring a recruitment posting and community profile materials to the vice chair within days so the posting can be distributed to state and national recruiting networks.

Next steps: the administration will update recruitment materials, launch outreach and schedule focus groups and surveys; the search committee’s final composition will return to the full School Committee for approval.