BEVERLY — Interested in picking out the next superintendent?
The School Committee is looking for about 11 volunteers to form a superintendent search committee, which will identify the qualities the community is seeking and help interview candidates.
Superintendent James Hayes is scheduled to retire next June, and the School Committee wants to hire someone by the end of this year, president Annemarie Cesa said. Ideally, there would be a six-month transition when Hayes and his replacement could work together, particularly since the new high school will be nearing completion around that time.
"It would be great if we could name someone by January," she said.
In addition to local volunteers, the School Committee plans to hire a search firm, which will cost roughly $12,000. Searches generally take about 120 days.
Ward 3 School Committee member Jim Latter suggested trying to save money by doing it themselves, but other members were concerned about having to hire someone later for other parts of the search, such as reference checks.
An agency, Cesa said, handles about 70 percent of the search and helps school districts pinpoint what they're looking for. Ward 4 member Karen Fogarty said it's important to involve the city in that process as well.
"It's been a considerable amount of the time since the community has had a chance to talk about what they want to see in a superintendent," Fogarty said.
Hayes was hired six years ago from within the department, after then-superintendent Bill Lupini left on short notice.
Hayes said he announced his June 30, 2010, resignation a year in advance to give the School Committee time to find someone else. He makes $154,000 a year.
Cesa said the School Committee hasn't discussed the salary, job description or other details of the position. However, she said there may be some competition.
Locally, the school districts of Swampscott, Manchester-Essex, Newburyport and Masconoment are also searching for superintendents, and there are more openings across the state.
"I heard there are 60 communities in Massachusetts looking for a superintendent by next June," Cesa said.
If you are interested in volunteering, e-mail School Committee president Annemarie Cesa at acesa@beverlyschools.org, with a brief description of what you can bring to the search committee.
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salemnews.com
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