Public weighs in on high school superintendent search

Despite frigid temperatures, about a dozen community members came to a superintendent search forum on Feb. 2 at Memorial Junior High School.

The event, which was postponed from Jan. 27 due to inclement weather, allowed Charles Fowler, president of School Leadership LLC — a New York-based search firm — to listen to residents’ opinions and perspectives about what qualities they want in the next district leader. The firm was hired to find the next superintendent to succeed Dr. Marc Bernstein, who retired in December.

Dr. Richard Marsh, a former superintendent in Bethpage, is serving as the interim superintendent during the search.

A respect for diversity is what John LaBarbera said he wants from the next superintendent. “For a school administrator, it’s good, and makes that person a stronger person going through a school district that is diverse,” he said. LaBarbera also said he believes the next leader should be open and visible to the community with key goals to “be aware of the public’s needs and keep kids in the schools.”

Fowler presented attendees with a trio of questions that several people, including LaBarbera, were eager to answer. Fowler asked residents to identify some of the good things about the district and the community that would make someone want to become superintendent, what challenges and issues would he or she face, and what prior experience and leadership style the next leader should have. “We want to know things like what would be attractive to a leader, should they have a particular background in budgeting, curriculum and instruction,” Fowler said. “We are looking for professional and personal characteristics in a new superintendent. Should they be transparent, accessible, have good interpersonal skills, be decisive?”

Usually, 50 to 80 candidates are found during the firm’s superintendent searches, Fowler said. Half of the candidates are expected to be experienced superintendents, while the other half are not. About one-third come from out-of-state. Minimum requirements include having a state license, a school district administration certificate with 60 credit hours beyond a bachelor’s degree.

In meeting that professional criteria, Grace Meltzer pointed out that the person should be a good negotiator. “That person needs to know how to handle the budget and be familiar with state guidelines,” she said. “They need to be a good lobbyist and be aware we are paying so much on Long Island.”

Meltzer said that district programs like the cosmetology instruction at Central High School are unique and should be kept. The option for students to choose their schools was also praised by Meltzer. However, she said, the district’s next leader should try new things and be proactive, such as releasing board meeting agendas way ahead of the actual meeting dates. “They have to get people into the meetings because many people in the community are not on the outside looking in, they are just on the outside,” she said.

Michael Mayo agreed that there was a transparency issue in the district. He said he felt that Bernstein did not express much interest in meeting the community’s needs, and felt those were neglected at times. He said he hopes that the next leader will act on the community’s behalf and not only listen, but help solve their problems.

Douglas Knight, a parent, expressed similar sentiments. “We need someone who is flexible and willing to work with the community and parents to accomplish goals,” Knight said, who also encourages the district and the potential superintendent to get the student body more involved in the board’s business and meetings.

Knight noted it would be great if the board identified three or four candidates to speak about their agendas at a school assembly before the final decision is made for a new superintendent. Fowler responded that the board would be doing their own interviews with the candidates. Usually, after the right person is found, the community interacts with that person and then a contract is offered, he stated.

Adding onto a variety of comments was Marijo Sensale, who said that the new superintendent must be “staff-friendly.” “We need someone that the staff is going to respect,” she said. “We need someone to be sensitive to these needs and be receptive to our children.”

All forum information, along with input from staff members, teachers, students and results of a survey completed by about 100 community members, will be used by the Board of Education to set a search profile. According to Fowler, the profile will feature criteria for the next superintendent, which will be used to help develop interest and recruit potential candidates.

Board members, who previously discussed their thoughts on what they want in the next superintendent at a Dec. 20 meeting, did not attend the forum. They were expected to adopt superintendent search specifications at their Feb. 8 meeting.