Oxford School Board Launches Superintendent, Principal Search

FILEMembers of the Oxford school board Tuesday appointed themselves as a search committee for a new superintendent.

Doing so allows the school board to conduct a confidential search to find a permanent replacement for Judith Palmer, who left the school district amid conflict over the wording of her contract and a job performance review.

Acting as a search committee allows the school board to legally circumvent Freedom of Information requirements, said James Connelly, who was hired last week as interim superintendent.

The committee will not have to post meeting notices, Connelly said. The meetings will not be open to the public. Minutes, if taken, will not be made public.

The state Freedom of Information Act allows agencies to search for executive-level candidates in such manner.

He estimated that 95 percent of the school districts in the state use this method to find a school chief.

Confidentiality is critical so the district can get a good pool of candidates, Connelly said. It is especially important early in the process, presumably so candidates can apply without the world knowing.

This is a lot more effective. It gives candidates a lot more confidence,” Connelly said. 

The superintendent said that if a candidate is listed on a public agenda, reporters could show up wanting an interview — which is what happened last week, when the school board met to interview Connelly for the interim superintendent’s job.

Rose McKinnon, chairman of the school board, said she checked with other school districts. This method is effective, she said.

McKinnon also said the district will start advertising the position as soon as possible. 

The chairman said the small Oxford district is competing with other schools for superintendent candidates. The district will expand their search to look for candidates outside the state, McKinnon said.

At the end of the search process, the school board, acting as the search committee, will make a recommendation to itself.

The school board Tuesday also created a search committee to find a replacement for retiring Oxford High School principal Frank Samuelson.

Members of that committee include interim Superintendent Connelly, school board members Lisa Hellauer, John Lavin, Michael Macchio and Ed Oczkowski, Center School principal Heath Hendershot and the president of the Oxford teachers’ union.

McKinnon said the high school principal’s slot should be filled quickly. There were six candidates scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday, she said.

The school district also needs to find a new business manager. Al Pullo resigned in June.

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