March 5 was Super Thursday at Old Rochester Junior High School for Assistant Superintendent Mike Nelson, who was voted in as Doug White’s replacement as ORR superintendent of schools by a 6-3 margin among the ORR School Committee and by a 5-3 count among Superintendency Union 55.
A minimum of five votes on both the region and the union sides were needed for a decision.
After a spirited debate pitting the overall experience of Westport Superintendent Dr. Gary Reese against what Nelson has shown in his six years at ORR, the joint committee decided the ORR school district’s future in one round of voting.
In an emotionally charged auditorium full of spectators to the public meeting, observers were cautioned by region-side committee chairman Cary Humphrey against outbursts since members of the committee needed to be able to interact without distraction. A spectator asked at one point if the audience would be allowed to participate. Humphrey said no, citing the complexity of the task and the time it might take to complete.
Humphrey admitted arriving to the meeting undecided and addressed the divided voting body at the start of proceedings.
“Clearly we’re not all on the same page,” he said. “The fact is I’m less concerned about who you vote for as I am how you treat the people that don’t agree with you so I just ask for respect, professionalism, and understanding as we go through the process.”
Shannon Finning, chairperson on the union side, thanked both sides for their involvement.
“We’re very fortunate to have three very well qualified candidates, and I think to Cary’s point as we discuss candidates not just because it’s being recorded and it’s a public forum, but I think it’s of the utmost importance we’re mindful that there are professional ramifications for comments that are made here that could be long-standing and affect people,” she said. “We can certainly debate different issues, but we can be mindful. And ultimately the decision that we’re making is about the future of our schools… I’m certain that you all as I do take that very seriously.”
The battle lines of the debate were well established as discussion commenced. Reese was the candidate with matching experience in two different towns. Nelson as assistant superintendent was the candidate with relationships in and familiarity with the ORR district.
Dartmouth Assistant Superintendent Michelle Roy, the third finalist, was praised by multiple committee members for her professionalism, but the decision came down to the candidate with the most experience (Reese) versus the candidate with the inside experience (Nelson).
Three joint-committee members were assigned to check the references of each of the three finalists. All three yielded glowing results.
On the union side, ORR School Committee member Carole Clifford of Mattapoisett said she called on Nelson’s three references and additional people recommended by those references. Relaying some of the feedback, Clifford noted Nelson’s “stand-out” history at every level of his development in education, and additional comments suggested unqualified confidence in his ability to function in the role of superintendent of schools.
“One of the quotes was ‘He sees things not from 30,000 feet above the problem, but down into the problem,'” said Clifford. “All the different things I asked about budgeting, curriculum, they had no fear that he would be the best candidate to do all of those things, and actually they thought we were lucky to have him as one of our candidates.”
In the comments portion of the meeting, ORR School Committee member Sharon Hartley of Rochester focused on selection criteria in her pitch for Reese.
“It seems that we have two candidates that meet the selection criteria and one who exceeds the criteria, and that person is Gary Reese,” said Hartley, elaborating on Reese’s credentials including having fully developed budgets for two school systems. “His conversation with us, his interview with us, was compelling.”
Furthermore, Hartley openly considered it “irresponsible” of the joint committee to pass on the opportunity to hire someone as vastly experienced as Reese.
While several joint-committee members praised Reese for an excellent interview, the majority felt Nelson was the right person for the job.
With at least three joint-committee members having arrived to the meeting undecided, Nelson’s supporters needed to convince them that his limited experience applied to the top job. Reese’s supporters needed to convince them that his broader experience has decisive value and also that he would remain committed to ORR despite having left his Amesbury job after three years and being ready to leave Westport after two.
Both Nelson and Reese have teaching backgrounds in special education, but Nelson’s participation at ORR beyond that scope swayed those on the fence into believing he was the right choice.
None of the three finalists for the position, Nelson, Reese or Roy, were present at the meeting. All three had sat in the same room to interview with the joint committee on February 29.
James Hardy, field director representing the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, was present to guide the process and recommended that votes be alternated on each side. Members were given the option of voting for any of the three finalists or “present,” meaning that they had weighed in for the opening round without a decision.
The votes in Nelson’s favor were met with roars of approval and hugs in the auditorium.
After a short recess, Finning announced that pending negotiations Nelson had accepted the committee’s offer for the position.
Citing the emotional outpouring of support for Nelson, Humphrey said, “We need your group to support Mike in a way higher than you’ve ever supported somebody because the only way this district improves is with the team, as I mentioned earlier, working together, and he’s going to need your support more than ever.”
White, ORR’s 10-year superintendent of schools, will retire from the position at the expiration of his contract on June 30.
Hardy noted after ORR reached a decision in one round of voting that the Silver Lake Regional District recently needed six rounds to reach a decision. He reiterated the appreciation that Diana Russo was shown earlier in the meeting for her hard work.
The meeting opened with a moment of silence in honor of Pat Harriman, who passed away on March 1 at age 70 after a brief illness. The Marion resident was a school teacher for 47 years, including 40 years as an English teacher to seventh and eighth grades at ORR Junior High.
Representing Mattapoisett and Rochester, respectively, Finning and Humphrey, sought a Marion-based representative from the joint committee, and Michelle Smith agreed to join with them to negotiate a contract with Nelson. If successful, the contract will be brought before the ORR School Committee at its next scheduled meeting on Monday, March 23, at 6:30 pm at the ORR Junior High School.
ORR Joint School Committee
By Mick Colageo