Victoria Greer: Would be first African-American superintendent.
Elizabeth Homan: Coming from Waltham next year.
The following opinion column calling for reopening the selection process for the superintendent of the Arlington Public Schools was submitted by the members of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Observance Committee in Arlington. A link to a petition is at the end:
Our mission is to uphold the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He wisely said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
We speak up now about school leaders that appear mired in the mud of complacency and denial. They shy away from the chance to be fair, and bold, and on the right side of history, comfortable with maintaining the status quo in a town that begs to be better. The spirit of Rev. MLK Jr. urges us on.
We question the review process that has led our School Committee to favor Elizabeth Homan over Victoria Greer to be the next superintendent of schools. We elected its members to shepherd our schools in good faith, and we appreciate their commitment to serve. However, the committee must answer to the community as well. The most significant power they have is that of choosing the next superintendent. Dr. Kathleen Bodie will continue to occupy the job until next June. There is no good reason for them to hurry this significant decision.
Why the rush?
The superintendent search committee narrowed the choices to two people, sparing the members having to waste time vetting less-qualified candidates. Why then did they rush to poll the committee? There was still dissent, and a request for more deliberation among them. The vote came before the offer to discuss.
We wonder if some of them had prior conversations out of session that propelled the vote that night. Doing so is against the rules. By contrast, recently, this same committee gave Arlingtonians ample time and opportunities to weigh in on the principalship of the Gibbs School, which is not as important a position as superintendent.
The procedural irregularities in the School Committee’s treatment of the two finalists is problematic. On Monday, Nov. 23. Each candidate had 45 minutes to converse with members of our Town Meeting, Human Rights Committee and Finance Committee. There were audio problems during Dr. Greer’s session. Despite the stated fact that they should reschedule the meeting to be fair to Dr. Greer, they did not, and that opportunity was lost. (She was utterly gracious about the problem.)
The vote took place on the very next day, not during a regular meeting, but in a special meeting two days before Thanksgiving. This meeting’s agenda was “Super selection discussion,” without mention of a possible vote, which would have attracted attention. Perhaps they broke no rules by going ahead with a vote, but they raised many eyebrows.
Consider DIG, NAACP?
Did our School Committee consider carefully the town interests expressed in DIG letters and the Mystic Valley NAACP recommendations? Were they moved by the glowing praise of Dr. Greer from Sharon citizens? Why did they dismiss member Paul Schlichtman’s request for site visits with the two finalists before voting? They could have been virtually conducted. Overall, the School Committee has not allowed adequate time for community feedback and reflection.
The naive response of member Len Kardon to Regina Caines on Nov. 29 is very troubling.
He wrote that “we cannot consider either candidate’s race in selecting the Superintendent. Thus we cannot consider the impact on the town’s diversity efforts that the selection of Dr. Greer would have simply because of her race.” There are, in fact, examples at the state and local levels of specific and targeted recruitment of people of color, including a DESE grant program. Note that the focus report mentions that parents bemoan the absence of diverse role models for their children in our schools.
The disparate questioning of the finalists is of concern, too. It is common practice now to pose the same questions to each. Dr. Hogan’s questioning was narrower in scope and geared toward her areas of expertise. The one exception was an inquiry put to her about her knowledge of Arlington’s budgeting process.
Differing reactions
Dr. Homan blanched. Notably, what she did not know was on page 1 of the superintendent search focus group’s report, which was designed to provide helpful information to the candidates, as well as to the committee.
In contrast, Dr. Greer volunteered that she would want to honor and build on Arlington’s secondary-school excellence in arts and drama (on page 5 of the report) by boosting these fields of study in the primary grades.
“There was broad consensus in the focus groups that … special education needs to be … a highest priority [for our next leader.] She must “take on significant improvement in SPED services including building a relationship with parents to work on concerns. This will occupy a considerable length of time [at first] and will not be allowed to go unaddressed.” Dr. Greer is an expert in this field, having taught it for seven years and administering it well for four more years in Tennessee. After being recruited by the City of Cambridge, she improved the integration of students in special education there. She was celebrated for her achievements in strengthening parent engagement as assistant Cambridge superintendent for four years. This is a nifty match of town need to candidate’s mastery.
The focus-group report is forthright about the superintendent’s need to understand school budgeting and finance; she must “be a prominent civic leader … with the ability to explain complex concepts to the public, many of whom do not want to hear ‘edu-speak’ … The most successful superintendents are the best communicators who were the best teachers and building leaders.” Dr. Homan has spent under three years teaching K-12, has never been a school principal nor a civic leader and spouts “edu-speak” like the professional teacher of teachers that she is. She spent one year as an ed tech in Boston, then three as an administrator for educational-technology integration in Waltham. She was promoted to assistant superintendent 2½ years ago. She is highly skilled behind the scenes at data analysis, professional development and creating progressive curricula.
Qualifications at issue
Is this the background that Arlington needs in its superintendent? Dr. Homan appears underqualified for the position. Dr. Greer is popular with the town manager, Finance Committee, two former School Committee chairs and the parents of Sharon, where she has been the superintendent for over three years. They admire her and enjoyed working with her. Dr. Greer’s success in the top job won accolades from the esteemed Karla Baehr, former deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Dr. Greer’s favorite accomplishment in Sharon is the high school rebuild underway there. What fitting credentials she would bring to bear on our comparable AHS rebuild. Our project will need strong oversight for several more years to keep it on track and the funding for it flowing. Dr. Homan has no such experience. Is this difference between them of no importance?
In summary, the discrepancies in the School Committee’s questioning of the finalists, the vagaries of its meeting procedure, its uninterest in the opinions of residents, its rush to decide and its silence on the striking pertinence of Dr. Greer’s talents are greatly disturbing. Why does it prefer, in Chair Jane Morgan’s words, the “promise,” “humility” and “self-awareness” of Elizabeth Homan, to the expertise, leadership skills and superb track record of Victoria Greer? It is baffling and calls into question the group’s judgment.
Our School Committee must reopen its superintendent selection process. Its members need to listen to the stakeholders, read the focus report, debate priorities and ask more questions of themselves. Only then can they make an informed decision and a coherent case for their choice. This is a rare opportunity not to be squandered. Dr. Greer has so much to offer our school system. Arlington will be the envy of other towns with her at the helm.
Petition: Reopen the process
Nov. 29, 2020: Analysis: A closer look at process, vote in superintendent choice
This opinion column was published Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020.
