As the New London Public Schools concludes our superintendent search, on behalf of the Superintendent Search Committee I would like to share the process used to arrive at our recommendation for our new superintendent. It has been sent to the Board Of Education for a final approval vote at its April 26 meeting. 

The process began in September 2017. The committee was comprised of the board members, district administrators, teachers, parents and community members. The November election necessitated some committee members stepping aside while the new board members were welcomed to the committee. The former superintendent and newly elected board member, Dr. Manuel Rivera, did not join the committee, as he recused himself and was never part of the process. 

The committee’s initial task was to review the superintendent's job description, including the required credentials and the preferred skills for New London’s particular needs. A job posting was submited by the Human Resources Office to local and national educational resources to attract a pool of candidates. 

Application packages from across the nation were accepted through Jan. 9, 2018 and vetted by HR to be sure all minimum requirements were met. HR then removed applicants' names from all application pages, and 27 applicant packages went to the committee for review.

The committee voted to further narrow the candidate pool to 11 based on applicants’ credentials and how we felt they would lead NLPS, solely using what we saw on paper or screen. 

The committee gave each candidate a case study and asked for a writing sample in response. From those that did submit a sample, the committee selected our top three candidates. 

Only then did the committee learn the identities of those individuals for the first time. The committee voted to hire an outside firm to provide a thorough background check for those that remained. Committee members were welcome to perform their own research. 

Each of the three was invited to an interview. The committee created a list of questions to represent many stakeholders in the district, including but not limited to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. Interview questions also addressed how a candidate would work with both the City of New London and the State of Connecticut. To be sure each candidate was treated exactly the same way, they were asked the same questions by the same committee member and no follow-up questions were allowed. At the conclusion, the committee discussed each candidate’s performance, reviewed applications and the writing samples, and voted two candidates as finalists. 

The two finalists were invited to an additional interview session, which included a performance task. They were given 45 minutes to develop a presentation focused on prioritizing district and state goals, which would then immediately be presented to the committee. We then asked each candidate four scenario questions based on topical education situations or events a superintendent would encounter; they were asked to explain how they would make a decision based on the information provided. Upon completion, the committee discussed each candidate’s performance and decided that both should be moved forward in the process. 

A sub-committee of five members (a board member, principal, teacher, community member and parent) was tasked with visiting the home districts of the two finalists. They toured schools, observed how the candidates interacted with current staff, and most importantly, interviewed current staff members at various locations without each candidate present. The sub-committee was able to interview 24 individuals. These visits allowed the sub-committee to address many of the full committee’s remaining questions. The full committee had a lengthy discussion on the site visits, reviewed the many steps along the way and felt that although we had two very qualified candidates, one was a better fit for NLPS. 

The committee is confident that we have found the right person to lead NLPS both now and into the future. 

It is with great pride that we share our superintendent search process with our community. Our hope is to move forward as a community by supporting our new superintendent and NLPS’s journey of trailblazing education. 

The Board of Education will vote on hiring the candidate April 26. The board invites the entire community to a meet-and-greet at 6 p.m. May 3 at the Science and Technology Magnet High School. 

Mirna Martinez chairs the New London Board of Education.