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Salem High educators back principal Glenn Burns, demand transparency in superintendent search
Summary
Lori Miranda, a 20-year Salem High history teacher, read a letter signed by 62 educators urging the School Committee to explain why Principal Glenn Burns was excluded from the second round of superintendent interviews and calling for transparency in the hiring process.
Lori Miranda, a 20-year Salem High School history educator, told the Salem School Committee that 62 educators had signed a May 30 letter supporting Principal Glenn Burns and asking the committee for a transparent superintendent hiring process. Miranda said Burns has driven improvements in AP performance, MCAS results, college acceptance rates and enrollment, and argued excluding him from the second round of interviews undermines staff trust.
"Being told that 'no one cares about the data except for him' is a slap in the face," Miranda said, urging the committee to explain why Burns was not advanced and to restore confidence in a process she described as damaged.
Miranda recounted examples she said show Burns's commitment to students and staff — from providing professional development and program overhauls to personally paying for students' prom tickets or game shirts when families could not afford them — and said teachers want full transparency about how the search was conducted and why the consultant firm that had been working with the screening committee is no longer involved.
The public comment reflected an active educator base pressing the committee for clarity as the committee moves forward with site visits and interviews for three finalists. School officials acknowledged the concern during the meeting; the committee's search timeline calls for candidate site visits and community forums the week after the meeting and interviews in early July.
