Search for a BHUSD Superintendent

BHUSD is now searching for a new Superintendent of Schools. At the same time, the schools — particularly Beverly High — have academic rankings that are increasingly disappointing. While there are many issues confronting the District, the highest priority is improving the academic standards.

There is nothing more important than educating our students. Well-educated students are better citizens and better prepared to lead productive lives. Improvement of our schools will improve our City because it will attract people who care about education. Once, our schools attracted those people. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

High academic standards are lacking. The quality of teachers, an immensely important factor, is uneven. The morale of educators is not good. Relationships among students can be surprisingly troublesome amid racial tensions. Issues that arise tend to linger unnecessarily with undue handwringing and delayed resolution.

These are not new issues. They have existed for years, but we have not found the Superintendent who can fix them. In the past, we have hired a search firm or two who round up the “usual suspects” and/or wait to see who applies. At best, this is a recipe for maintaining the status quo. That’s not good enough.

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So let’s try something different this time.

Specifically, let’s appoint a search committee consisting of a small group of residents who have been involved with our schools — such as former Board of Education members or others knowledgeable about the schools — and charge them with the task of identifying persons who have been successful in education, commerce, or the professions and persuading them to apply for the Superintendent position.

I come from the world of BigLaw, where Managing Partners successfully provide leadership and vision that propel organizations of several hundred to a few thousand high-performing professionals (with egos to match) to great success. I don’t accept the notion that we could not find such leadership. And, in any event, we should at least aspire to successful identification. The right person need not be from the field of education. Intractable problems can be solved. Think about the improvements in Southern California air quality over the past three decades.

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This should be an attractive position.

Our schools are very well financed because of the assessed values of the real estate in the City. Some resist taking on additional students (through permits or otherwise) on the grounds that our funding does not increase based on the number of students enrolled. But this ignores the fact that our school district revenues are more than twice as much as they would be if the District were funded on a per capita basis. BHUSD spends far more per student than many much higher-performing schools. Yet the performance is mediocre. This can change.

I suggest that our search committee look at successful school districts in communities similar to Beverly Hills in Southern California, as well as places such as San Diego, San Mateo, and Marin Counties. A superintendent’s role is multifaceted, requiring a balance of leadership, administrative, and communication skills and the ability to oversee all aspects of the District’s operations — from academic performance to sound use of financial resources.

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Focus: improving academics.

In fulfilling the critical task of selecting the best possible new superintendent, we must understand the reasons that the District’s academic standing has deteriorated. In part, the self-inflicted distractions (construction, re-alignment, security, litigation, etc.) are to blame. The new superintendent must be capable of maintaining focus on the number one priority of improving academics while dealing with the infinite number of issues that could arise.

In my opinion, the politicization of education is a pandemic that could prove very distracting. We cannot allow issues such as whether an educator is “MAGA” or “woke” to dictate the selection process. While these issues are of intense importance to some, they have little, if any, relevance to improving academic quality.

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What qualities do we need?

First and foremost, we need someone whose leadership qualities, achievements, seriousness of purpose, work ethic, and communication skills will command the respect and deference of the Board of Education, the administration, the student body, and the community.

The new superintendent must be decisive. Issues will arise. They must be analyzed thoughtfully and dealt with promptly, lest they become unduly distracting.

The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated record of achieving academic success — and should celebrate academic success when achieved. For example, has the candidate led a Blue Ribbon School? This candidate should bring to our district:

• A vision of academic improvement

• A plan for implementation of that vision

• A transparent system of accountability for success or failure

A strategic plan for upgrading the quality of teachers is a critical need. Recognizing contractual protections for teachers, the new superintendent should have a plan for threading the needle between these protections and replacing poor performance. Master teachers should be given financial incentives to help teachers who are not meeting the standards that we must demand.

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Excuses are not solutions.

Numerous explanations/excuses have been offered by District administration for the disappointing academic standing of our schools, such as:

• Students are not motivated to take proficiency exams seriously.

• There are serious discipline problems and possibly racial hostilities.

• Students are content to go to junior colleges.

• Students drop out after 11th grade, lowering graduation rates.

• Quality of teachers varies dramatically.

• Some parents do not instill a reverence for learning.

The new superintendent must view these as problems to be solved, not insuperable obstacles to be used as excuses for poor performance.

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The time is now.

We must recognize that the task of finding the right person is urgent. This is highly time sensitive as the right person should ideally be in place well before the beginning of the next academic year.

Once the new superintendent is identified, attracted, and in place, get out of his or her way and let the right candidate do the job. This is a unique opportunity to make some substantial steps in the right direction.

And never let a good crisis go to waste.