001loud. We are recording. It is November 6, Thursday, November 6, 12:32 p.m. We are calling to order uh this meeting of the superintendent search steering subcommittee. >> Um >> all good. Um I'm going to read the chair statement real quick. This meeting is being recorded by the superintendent search searing subcommittee. If any other persons present are also recording, you must notify the chairperson at this time. Um I don't see anyone else recording. There is no one besides myself and Mayor Disorger in the room. Um and there is no one else on Zoom. There's not a waiting room. So people would just pop in if they decided to join. Um okay, great. Um I'm Stacy Ston. I'm here. Junita Sorger, I'm here. >> And Childs, I'm here. >> Great. Thank you. That is all of the
002members of this sub uh steering subcommittee. We are called to order now at 12:33. Um there is no public currently present to comment. So motion to just like we're just going to move past that and if public appears then we'll take their uh take their comments as needed. Um, did folks get a chance to read through the October 16th and October 23rd minutes? >> Yes. And I move to approve the subcommittee minutes for both October 16 25 and October 23rd 25. >> Thank you. Um, >> I'm going to abstain. >> Okay. Uh only because would you just out of would you rather that we give you the time to read them before they get approved >> or you two can I just I have to I didn't have time to read them >> that would
003just do you have a preference so that you actually get a chance to that you're not >> I'm okay with the two I imagine >> um okay I'll second that. Uh, all in favor we have to do a roll call. Member Child is an I. >> Uh, member Ston, I'm an I. >> And I'm abstain. >> Uh, member Sorger is abstaining. The motion passes. The minutes are approved. Thank you. Um, now we're going to hear an update on the or just give an update quickly on the community needs survey and screening committee outreach. Um uh just as a note to the public, anyone who may watch these in the future, we did extend the deadline for both the survey and submitting your letter of interest or your brief paragraph of interest um to Sunday, November
0049th, 11:59. Um and we'll be looking at those on Monday, November 10th, um pretty early. So, please try to get them in. Um, if you have any interest in serving on that, you can find more information on the school website under the superintendent search page. Um, I think the link to it is on that top banner there so folks can can get it. Um, >> yeah. Could I ask you something about that? >> Oh, yeah. >> Um, first, how many people do we have? The other day I looked and there was like about 14 or 15. Is that right? We have a few people now. >> Yeah. Yeah. are they do they list by category? >> Um, we will be able to glean that when they talk about their relationship with the schools. >> Okay.
005>> Yeah. >> But how many folks do we have now? Oh, there's a person with a hand up. >> Is that right? Judy. Judy. >> Okay. That's that's our mouse. >> Okay. Sorry. >> Wow. >> Um, but I I will be honest with you. I'm not entirely sure. I did not get a chance to check this morning. Um, >> we have we have 17 responses with 15 names, which is a bit weird. So, I don't know how that works. >> Okay. >> Oh, >> thanks, Ian. >> Well, um, I guess needless to say, if you don't put your name in the letter of interest, we cannot consider you because we do not know who you are. So, okay. just if that was you, you're welcome to go back and submit a new one or I
006don't know, I think the edit might be available like you can alter your prior response perhaps. Um either way, um thank you for those questions though and uh I can get a better definitely have like a summary of that available for. >> Okay. Okay. Um great. Um All right. And now we have a brief report from Judy Paluchi of the New England School Development Council regarding the results um of the applicants for the superintendent position as well as a general update about the focus groups and sort of a like pre like the beginnings of a debrief about that effort. Okay. >> Um and and sort of what our next steps are with that. >> Okay. Well, I'll start by saying that there has been a reasonable amount of interest in the position. So, u there's
007still about a month left for people to submit an application. Um but already we have um 12 who have at least started the application process. Six are complete. Um and usually we see the most people apply in the two weeks before the deadline. And so we still have time for that. So that's a good sign. Um for the uh surveys, uh we only had 13 as of yesterday. And so I'm hoping that we can have more. Um usually there's for a for a city of your size um 80 to 100. So um and and so there's not a lot of time left. So, I'm hoping that um you might be able to use social media and other means to reach out to people to to fill those out. Um in some places, they've done things
008like actually gone to the uh senior center and had people, you know, with laptops in front of them and told them how to get on and people all do it all at once. Um, so there's different ways you might be able to get uh groups of people to um to do those. Um, one thing I have found though, and the focus groups were not particularly well attended, the administrative focus group was was very well attended. There were um 20 about 20 people at that one and um and the others were were less um well attended. But despite that fact, we're definitely seeing certain themes emerge as consistent across different groups of people and different conversations. So, that's a good thing. We'll be able to um write up a candidate profile that is um I think
009speaks to different uh stakeholders in the community. So, in order to get that candidate profile done for the 12th, um if the survey closes uh at the end of the day on Sunday, I'll work on drafting that on Monday and Tuesday. And I'm hoping that I might work with one of you to look over my, you know, just just the writing and whether it makes sense uh before it actually goes to to the school committee. So, I don't know if one of you wants to volunteer to look that over and then I will submit it by the uh I know Tuesday is a holiday. I don't know if that's a problem. If I can submit it by the end of the day on Tuesday to you or send it directly to school committee me me
010me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me members. I don't know how you want me to handle that. >> Um yeah, if you get it if you can get it to to us, I can make sure that it gets out to the rest of the committee as soon as possible. [clears throat] >> And and what time are you meeting on Monday? um >> At 11:30, >> I probably will not have had enough time to truly draft something by then. Um >> I understand. >> Yeah. >> Um even if you wanted just like feedback about the main bullet, like the headers and the >> Oh, that might be I might be able to get that to you by 11:30
011on Monday. >> Happy to review some bullet points about what it would include and what it would say. Yeah, might be useful. >> Something you'd be interested in. >> Great. >> Okay. >> Um, all right. Okay. Um, and so that's I think at this point that's all I have to report. I just looked I just pulled up your timeline. Um and it looks like um you know it's tight getting that done but not impossible. So we can we can we can have that done by by the 12th. Um and then and then if you have your um your group look at the um screening committee um will be in good shape to then have the school committee appoint those people before uh before they meet. So that's that's the other question I had. Um, were
012you on on on your meeting on Tuesday on on on the 12th on Wednesday? >> Yes. >> Um, will you also be appointing your screening committee members? >> Yes. >> Okay, great. Oh, that's terrific. Okay. All right, that's good. So, we are right on schedule then. Great. Um, do you mind if I open open the floor up, Judy, for any questions from folks? >> No, go ahead. Go ahead. >> Um, anything about either the um community outreach effort and the community needs assessment or the applicant pool for the position? I guess my question is because we didn't have the best turnout at the focus groups um but because you've done this before in other towns though we didn't have quantity of people responding in terms of quality of responses are are we able to balance
013out? >> Oh I I think that's a good question. Um I think the quality was exceptionally good and and the consistency too um about what was most important to people. Um so I think that quality was very good and I still by the way um need to interview individually all the school committee members and so that will add another layer there before it's actually complete. Do you have for a time? >> Yeah. Do you have the signups yet? I want to make sure I'm available during those times. >> Um I had sent the signup sheet out to the members. And did you do you remember receiving that? >> I did receive it and then I remembered Oh, yeah. When I got it, I didn't know what my schedule was looking like those days and now
014I do. So, I'm like literally in my day planner right now looking to schedule. >> You know what? I'll take it. I will take it if you sign up right now. I will give you a bonus prize of one gratitude. >> You know, ideally too [laughter] ideally if we can um get it on on on Monday, I'd have the data >> early so I could really be working on that right up for Tuesday. >> Let's see. What time are we meeting on Monday at 11:30? Do you think we'll be done by 2:00 so I can sign up for that slot? >> She's busy. She's busy in the afternoon on Monday. >> Yeah. >> 2 to 3. >> Yeah. >> But so do you think we will be done discussing and deliberating by that? I would
015think we'd be done by two, don't you think? >> Yeah, I would hope. >> Well, if anything, this will incentivize us working quickly. >> I'll definitely block out that time. Um, >> okay. I [snorts] am I just have to go copy paste my email address because I do not want to typo that. Okay, I'm signed up for Monday now. >> Okay, [snorts] good. Good. >> Sign up for Monday >> in the afternoon. >> Monday. Yep. Monday at 2 p.m. >> But I thought she was busy in the afternoon. >> Busy. Oh, I I I have a um a meeting at 300 p.m. in the neighborhood. I'm on the my condo board um at 300 p.m. But but one-on- ones should not take that long because, you know, it's one-on-one rather than a whole conversation with
016a bunch of people. >> Oh, wait. I just realized that I cannot actually do Monday at two. So, >> wamp wamp. Sorry about that. I will go ahead and grab a Tuesday day. >> I also relinquished Monday at 9:00 a.m. because I we already had our one-on-one during one of these focus groups with no attendees. >> Uh I did two I signed up on Tuesday. >> Oh yes. >> Okay. So, in in the Tuesday ones, I I'll just need to be done by three uh 3:00. >> Are they like on a Zoom, Judy? >> Um, we could either do Zoom or telephone. >> Okay. And are you setting that up? I don't know how to set them up. >> Um, once I get the information, I could set them up. Yeah. >> Okay, good. >>
017Yeah. Thank you so much for reminding me. I had totally blipped on that because I meant to schedule. >> Okay. Um, all right. That was a a a fine detour, but are there any other questions from folks about anything? Um, >> Great. Of course, if if like one comes to you at a time that is not right now, because sometimes that's when questions come, >> just just email them or text them. >> Okay. >> Call me or and we'll and we'll >> Okay. >> We can answer questions as they come up. >> Um Okay. Uh so I think then based on that that that there is some sort of like to-do for the remainder of this survey effort and then Judy you know last night you had mentioned a little bit about a willing a
018potential willingness to do like one last hurrah of a virtual effort. Is that something that you still think is >> or you know what it seemed to come out last night that there may be they kept mentioning a certain certain person in town um who knows a lot about what's going on in in in the schools. if if you wanted me to add another interview, for example, or um you know, to try to get an additional perspective, I'd be willing to do that as long as I could fit [laughter] it in um because there's not a lot of time left. >> Um you know, I'd be willing to do that. Um I don't I don't remember who the person's name was that they mentioned. It was part of a I think a youth group in
019town. >> Oh yes, it was the it was the twice as smart folks. >> Yes, >> I am blanking on her name. >> Yeah. >> Gloria. Yes. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. if you think useful for me to re reach out to her for her perspective um or anybody for that matter if there was somebody in town government or or anything like that that would be city government that would be useful I don't mind doing that as an you know just to get an additional perspective >> has someone reached out to Gloria to give her the information about the search committee itself. >> Oh, that's a good idea. >> Yeah, >> I know she's really busy, but >> yeah, this is the thing. I think it's hard. I think it was hard to get this
020information out to people because we were all getting information out to people on something else. like there's a saturation point that people have and um I imagine that there's people like Gloria that don't know that we're getting, you know, that don't know that we're we're searching for a new superintendent. I just left something where people like, "Oh, we're getting a new superintendent." Um although it's uppermost in our minds because we're on this search. Um, it's amazing what people don't know and um, you know, it's a big thing in the community, but you couple this with what we were just trying to get people to know that there was an election here. Did it actually happen this week? you know, so I think it's difficult just to get that into the hands of people so that
021they know what's happening. That's all. So I think that there's many people who there's just so much room in people's heads for information. Like we're conscious when we put things out on the web page of what you're going to be able to get into the human brain or or what we put on out on a page so that people can absorb it. >> I think the school is is different. You know, it's all on a school calendar, too. Do you know what I'm saying? I don't really know. Um, but I I so I worry that everybody doesn't know, but you know, >> the people that will know will hopefully make a good choice >> perhaps. Um, I think that there's also room for other options as in, you know, would you like to sit out
022on the common with me and tell people about the survey? And um >> right now for you know like um >> yeah different community members now library focus planning board parking commission you know the there's civic leaders planning zoning >> whatever this we have a few more days it's Thursday it's Thursday it's okay it's Thursday to Sunday >> Friday Saturday Sunday, Monday, >> Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. >> Yeah. And >> usually people um will actually do it within a day after getting notified or hearing about it again. Like they're not going to do it three weeks from now. It doesn't take that long. So, >> um, yeah, and you know, [clears throat] I think it was I, you know, talked to some folks as they were coming out of the polling place was like, hey,
023did you know that there was a superintendent search? And it was kind of mixed. Some people said no, I had no idea. Some people said, um, yeah, I knew something about I knew that it was happening, but didn't didn't really know about it. And some people knew a little bit more than that. But it was good to just be like, "Take this survey, you know, pull it up right now and then you can do it at the next time you're bored." Um, you know, waiting for something. So, yeah, I think I think that those kinds of efforts can be really worthwhile, but we'll >> we can we can do what we can do. >> Um, but thank you. Um, okay. Then our next meeting is Monday at 11:30 where we will actually be reviewing um
024the letters of interest that have come in. Um, you members right now are free to review them as they are coming in so that it's not so much of a burden on the last minute. Um, and I think that >> quick question. Would anyone be opposed to me linking the form to sheets so that can look at all of them on one page? >> I've got no problem with that. >> Okay. >> I don't know what you mean, but it sounds wonderful. >> Like a Google Sheets like Yes. >> Yes. With forms it'll automatically put in. So, it's like a spreadsheet where everybody's got their own line of it and all of the responses are together. >> I looked at it, but I just had a question because I think there are people there are
025people who could fit into one more than one category. >> Yes. >> Right. And that will kind of have to be the case. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Um, so yeah, happy to happy to like have people up who can >> Okay. >> represent mult multiple things. But I think another thing is just like this group of folks. Yes, we want them to come in because we think like we might choose them because we think that their individual perspectives or ideas are are good and worthwhile and that is true and I think there is something to that and I would like to get folks who can keep in mind a broader perspective and be able to advocate for what the community wants and what we're hearing come out of the whatever comes out of the survey
026and what we heard from the from the students that you know sat down and thought about these questions, you know, that sort of thing. So, being able to advocate for what's good for Greenfield, um, in addition to bringing their own flavor to to reviewing folks. Um, anyhow, that's enough of me editorializing. Uh, the next thing that I've got is a is a motion to adjourn. It is 12:56, so I feel like we're right on time. Is anything anything else before we proceed? any new business or last minute business? >> Um, just last minute thing I'll say at the top of the responses now for the form. Uh, if you go over from questions to responses, there's a little, uh, word and Google sheets icon with view and sheets. If you click that, it'll pull up
027a spreadsheet of all of the responses, each person their own line. >> Perfect. >> Could you say that again? >> So, if you go Sorry. If you go to the uh survey for collecting screening committee members and hit responses uh near the top right above where it says individual there's a little green icon for Google sheets and it says view in sheets. If you click that, it will open up the answers in spreadsheet form where every person is their own row and there's a locked row at top for what the question was. And yeah, and if you need like the specific link to that, I could just go ahead and send that specific link to both of you now. >> Sure. >> Okay. >> Email is going out momentarily. >> Thank you very much. >>
028She's good with all that. She's very good with that. You're clever, Ian. >> I just really like computers. [laughter] >> So good. >> They're neat devices. >> Very good. Thank you so much. >> Okay. All right. So, uh, we need an actual >> Oh, I'll move to adjourn. >> I'll second. >> Great. Thank you. Uh, all in favor? >> I I opposed. Any abstensions? Hearing none. We are adjourned. Unanimous. It is 12:58 p.m. Thanks everyone. I'm going to stop the record.