Parents are pushing back at Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s stealth search for a new school superintendent, saying they want to see more than just three finalists and wanted a bigger role in the process they say lacks transparency — a charge that had an irked Walsh on the defensive.
This week, Boston Public Schools revealed that out of 39 candidates for the top school post — roughly half as many applicants as the previous selection process in 2015 — only three finalists are being named for public interviews set for next week.
A final decision by the School Committee is expected by the end of the month — a choice that ultimately will have to meet Walsh’s approval, as the committee’s sole appointing authority.
“It’s painful to watch. I’m disappointed in the process,” said Lucas Orwig, 38, of Roxbury, a parent of two young children and a member of the Citywide Parent Council. “I’m frustrated we weren’t deep into the process.”
Other parents said with schools being shuttered, Boston is in crisis and they want a new superintendent who can unite people.
“The mayor doesn’t get high marks for transparency. But there’s nothing new with that,” said parent Kevin Murray, a member of Quality Education for Every Student. “The system has a lot of problems. We need someone who can stand up to all the political interests and speak for the children of the city.”
The superintendent finalists — Oscar Santos, head of Cathedral High School; Marie Izquierdo, chief academic officer for Miami-Dade County Public Schools; and Brenda Cassellius, the former Minnesota commissioner of education — will be interviewed beginning Monday. But the public portion of the search being limited to three candidates over three days has left bitter feelings.
“They had 39 candidates … I’m just wondering why we have only three finalists,” said Lauren Margharita of the Citywide Parent Council. “I wish we knew who had been left off the finalist list and why. Some of those people must have been good, right?
“I wish we had more knowledge about who the other people had been,” said Margharita, who has three kids in Boston’s public schools.
Walsh defended the process Thursday, dismissing the notion that his process has stirred up dissent.
“Yeah, I don’t understand that. I don’t understand who they are complaining, this has been one of the most transparent processes. You’re finding them to complain, so I’m not sure — I’m not sure who they are,” Walsh said when asked about parents’ complaints.
The mayor said he won’t make the names of runners-up public to protect their privacy, defending the narrow scope of the public part of his search.
“No superintendent search in the country is run that way, and as a matter of fact this week now all those folks who have concerns about candidates have ample opportunity to go to forums, they will be televised publicly on TV. They have plenty to vet and see who they like,” Walsh added.
Adding to the heat this time is the fresh memory of the brief tenure of ex-superintendent Tommy Chang — hired by Walsh and then pushed out less than three years with a costly buyout.
Harvard Graduate School professor Paul Reville, a former state secretary of education, said people have been left in the dark by the current selection process, “There was a lot of ambiguity surrounding this, without clear direction from the mayor or the School Committee.” He added, “It’s not an ideal pool.”
