Superintendent Field Narrows to Three

By IAN FEIN

Two of the five finalists for superintendent of Vineyard schools withdrew their names from consideration this week.

Despite the drop in numbers, school officials remained optimistic about the remaining candidates, each of whom has substantial administrative experience in New England schools.

"We're down to three people," school board member David Rossi of Edgartown said at the committee meeting Tuesday night. "And the cream rose to the top."

The finalists now are: Wayne R. Ogden, assistant superintendent of Wayland schools; Richard H. Silverman, a former superintendent in Brookline; and James H. Weiss, a superintendent in Sanborn, N.H.

School committee members will interview each candidate publicly during open meetings on March 8, 9 and 10 at 6 p.m.

If they are ready to make a decision, school board members will vote on their permanent superintendent the night of March 10. Should they need more time, they will take a vote the following week.

Pending contract negotiations, the new superintendent is scheduled to take the helm from interim G. Paul Dulac on July 1. Mr. Dulac, himself a finalist for the Somerville superintendency, said he knows two of the Vineyard finalists by reputation and was impressed by the caliber of each candidate.

Before taking over as assistant superintendent in Wayland three years ago, Mr. Ogden served as Duxbury High School principal for nine years and as a high school principal in Springfield, Vt., for six years prior to that. Mr. Ogden was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment, though he stated on his resumé that he enjoys 19th-century American paintings, sailing, fly-fishing, ice hockey and kayaking.

Mr. Silverman, who served as superintendent in Brookline for three years before stepping down last June, said in a telephone interview from his Boston home yesterday that he misses working closely with teachers and students. Also a superintendent in Windsor, Conn., for four years, Mr. Silverman said he is particularly attracted to the Vineyard position because of his family's connection to the Island.

Mr. Silverman has a three-year-old granddaughter named Aquinnah, and his son - who lived on the Vineyard for two years while researching his dissertation - wrote a soon-to-be-published book titled Faith and Boundaries about the relationship between Wampanoags and colonists on the Island.

"We have a close attachment to the Vineyard in all seasons and at all times," said Mr. Silverman, who taught music in public schools around Boston for 20 years before becoming an administrator. "This position is a very exciting opportunity for me, and I'm very honored and pleased to be one of the three finalists."

The third candidate, Mr. Weiss, has been superintendent of two different school systems in New Hampshire for the last 15 years. He also spent eight years as principal of an elementary school in his hometown of Meriden, Conn., where he was named educator of the year in 1985. Mr. Weiss did not return calls for comment yesterday.

Vineyard school board representatives will conduct reference checks and site visits on the three candidates next week, hoping to stay ahead of the hiring timeline set by other New England schools in search of superintendents. Nantucket, Falmouth, Mashpee and Chatham are all hiring at the moment, and at least two of the Vineyard finalists are interviewing with other school systems.

One school board member said Tuesday that unless they stay ahead of the competition their search process could leave the Vineyard schools empty-handed.

Earlier this month the school board charged a superintendent search committee with finding at least five finalists for the post. After culling through 21 applications, the committee interviewed nine semifinalists, and last week selected five candidates they said clearly stood out above the rest.

But before those five names could be officially presented to the committee, two finalists dropped out.

James Hardy, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which has coordinated the entire search process, said one candidate withdrew his name Saturday after learning that Vineyard schools have six separate school boards and districts. Many other school systems have only one regional district.

Another candidate - and the only female finalist - told Mr. Hardy on Tuesday morning that she did not want the job either. Mr. Hardy said she was surprised and concerned about the lack of central office support for the Vineyard superintendent, particularly on the business side of operations.

School committee members and Mr. Dulac noted that Island voters should take that into account when they consider the proposed superintendent's budget for next fiscal year. The proposed budget is asking for an increase of almost 16 per cent, from $2.3 million to $2.7 million.

Because the school board asked for at least five names from the search committee, board members had to decide on Tuesday whether to proceed.

At the recommendation of Mr. Hardy, the school board went into executive session to discuss the matter. However, committee member Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter of West Tisbury challenged chairman Diane Wall on the board's ability to call the executive session, which excludes the general public.

The Massachusetts open meeting law allows governmental bodies to go into executive session only under certain well-defined circumstances. Mr. Manter said that although he understood the committee's reasons for wanting to go into executive session, he could not find what circumstances legally allowed it.

After some discussion in which at least two other committee members sided with Mr. Manter, the school board voted to go into executive session regardless. Mr. Manter left the room in protest.

Ultimately, the board decided to stick with the remaining finalists.

Oak Bluffs principal and search committee chairman Laurence Binney, who sat in on the executive session, said the school board wanted to know how strong the three remaining candidates were. Mr. Binney said last week that the five finalists selected by the search committee - including the two who withdrew - were far and above any criteria set by the school board.

"I was disappointed to hear that those two dropped out. They were top-notch, and I really liked them both," Mr. Binney said yesterday. "Trying to find the right person is such a challenge, so you really want to draw from the biggest pool. But the three still in the running are exceptionally strong people, and I would be happy with any one of them."