Search Committee announces selection of search firm for Boston Superintendent

BOSTON - The Search Committee, appointed to recommend finalists for the next Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools, today announced that it has retained the national search firm of Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler, Inc. (HR&A) from among the firms that submitted proposals to assist with the process.

Search Committee co-chair Elizabeth Reilinger announced that the Committee selected HR&A, a nationally recognized search firm, "because of their experience in recruiting Superintendents for major urban districts, as well as their proven track record of attracting a highly qualified and diverse candidate pool." Dr. Reilinger added, "The approach that HR&A uses is based on customizing the search process to the unique needs of the community to ensure that candidates who are identified have the skills and experience to meet the needs and priorities of the school system and community."

Rev. Gregory Groover, pastor of the Historic Charles Street AME Church in Roxbury and a member of the Search Committee, added, "We believe Hamilton has the experience necessary to support our important charge, and just as importantly, has a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing this city and the Boston Public Schools."

HR&A has worked on Superintendent searches in Philadelphia, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Providence, Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, among other cities. In 1995, the firm worked on the search that led to the hiring of Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant, who remains one of the longest-serving urban Superintendents in the country. Dr. Payzant has announced that he will retire in June 2006.

In addition, on December 14, the Search Committee held the first of several community meetings to solicit public input about the needs and priorities for the school district and the next Superintendent. More than 125 members of the community, including parents, students and educators attended the meeting, held at the New Boston Pilot Middle School in Dorchester.

Several key themes emerged the testimony at the hearing, including:

• acknowledgement of the significant progress that has been made in reforming the Boston Public Schools during the past decade;
• the desire to accelerate the reform effort to meet higher standards of student achievement;
• the urgency to reduce the dropout rate and eliminate the achievement gap; and
• the importance of actively engaging families and the community in school reform.

"One of the great benefits of being a student in the Boston Public Schools under Dr. Payzant is having the opportunity to speak up for what I believe and seeing the change after I have been heard," said Alafia Spencer, a senior at The Engineering School in the Hyde Park Education Complex. "The new Superintendent should be a strong leader who is willing to make changes that are beneficial to students and families, community partners, colleges, and staff."

"The next Superintendent will need to be creative and have the strength to negotiate the funding we require to meet the educational and technological challenges of the future," said Vivien Igras, a parent of a Charlestown High School student and President of the School Site Council. "Recent efforts to expand family and community engagement in the Boston Public Schools have moved that work forward. I would like to see those efforts continue to grow to ensure schools and families are supporting each other equally in the education of our young people."

"There have been significant improvements in the Boston Public Schools over the last ten years, but that does not mean we can rest on our laurels," said Kim Janey, Deputy Director of the Boston School Reform Project at Massachusetts Advocates for Children. "It is critically important for the new Superintendent not only to build on the successful reform strategies that are currently underway, but to address the major gaps in the system that still remain. In particular, I strongly urge the Search Committee and the search firm to place a very high priority on looking at candidates that a have proven track record of engaging parents as full partners in the education of their children."

The Committee also announced two additional community meetings next month:

• Saturday, January 7, 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon, Boston Community Leadership Academy, 20 Warren St., Brighton.
• Wednesday, January 11, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Dennis C. Haley Elementary School, 570 American Legion Highway, Roslindale.

For more information about the Boston Public Schools, visit www.bostonpublicschools.org.

The Superintendent Search Committee is a 12-member panel appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston School Committee, including parents and representatives from business, higher education, clergy and other sectors. The Committee is charged with identifying, recruiting and screening candidates and recommending to the School Committee a list of finalists for the position of Superintendent. For more information about the Superintendent Search process, visit www.bostonpublicschools.org/search/.

Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler, Inc. (HR&A) is a full service financial, executive search, litigation support, public policy and management consulting firm. For more information about HR&A, visit www.hra-inc.com.