The All-Island School Committee (AISC) voted Tuesday night to accept a letter of resignation from superintendent of schools James Weiss, effective June 30, 2015, and to set a plan in motion to hire his replacement. In addition to announcing his retirement plans last year, Mr. Weiss said he submitted his resignation letter now to allow the AISC ample time for the process.
The AISC on June 25 approved a bid of $11,500 from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) to conduct a superintendent’s search, starting this fall. That included the cost of the search process and consulting services, expenses, and advertising.
MASC field director Jim Hardy, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, warned the committee that the pool of candidates would likely be small and require a salary increase for a new superintendent. Mr. Weiss currently earns $158,000.
His suggested timeline includes advertising the position beginning Oct. 15; conducting search-committee interviews of semifinalists in the first two weeks of December and finalists the first week in January; site visits with finalists the first two weeks in February; and the appointment of a new superintendent by the first week of March to allow the candidate time for contract negotiations and to give notice to his or her employer. The search will be open to candidates nationwide.
AISC chairman Susan Mercier said she and the other personnel subcommittee members met over the summer, and voted to recommend conducting an internal search for possible local candidates, while preparing for an external search at the same time.
After a lengthy discussion, the AISC voted eight to six in favor of conducting one search instead, which would be open to all candidates. The AISC also voted to create an 11-member search committee made up of representatives from the education community and other stakeholders in the Island community. Ms. Mercier said the personnel subcommittee would send letters out this week to solicit volunteers, with the hope of appointing the search committee by the AISC’s next meeting on Oct. 16.
In other business, the AISC voted to ratify a tentative three-year agreement approved by the secretaries’ unit of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional Teachers and Educators Association on Aug. 14. Under the new agreement, secretaries received a job title change to administrative support personnel. Salary increases are two percent retroactively effective July 1, 2013; two percent effective July 1, 2014; and three percent effective July 1, 2015. The agreement also creates a new year-round, full-time job category, and includes stipend increases for longevity, substitute calling, and sick leave buyback.
The AISC also voted to appoint Dr. Jeffrey Zack, head of emergency services at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, as the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools physician for the third year. He receives a stipend through the superintendent’s shared-services budget, to which all Island school districts contribute. He received $8,500 for FY14.
At Mr. Weiss’s recommendation, the AISC voted to approve a pool of money up to 2.5 percent of combined administrators’ and nonunion employees’ salaries for raises in FY16. He also gave an overview of issues he faces in his FY16 budget, including negotiated salary increases, special-education enrollment increases, and additional staffing needs, for which he suggested adding a facilities manager and food-services director.