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Jun022009

Superintendent without superintendent experience nothing new for Nashua

Filed under Nashua by michael brindley at 5:47 pm

When the city gets a new superintendent, it’s not unusual for that person to come into the job without any previous experience running a school district.

In fact, it’s the norm.

Last night, the Board of Education named former business administrator Mark Conrad as its choice for superintendent. Conrad, currently chief financial officer for the Bedford schools, said he would accept the job, contingent upon successful contract negotiations.

The vote was not unanimous, however. Board members Sandra Ziehm and Dennis Hogan voted against Conrad. Ziehm said her concern was that Conrad had never been a superintendent before.

This is true. But looking back at the city’s former superintendents, you’d be hard pressed to find a single one who had any experience working as a superintendent prior to becoming the head of the city’s schools.

- Berard Masse was an assistant superintendent in Fairfield, Conn. before taking over as superintendent in 1973.

- Joe Giuliano, Masse’s replacement, was the assistant superintendent in Nashua before taking over in 1995.

- Julia Earl, hired in 2005, was the associate superintendent of curriculum for the Klein, Texas school system prior to coming to Nashua.

- Christopher Hottel was the assistant superintendent when he was named acting superintendent in 2006. He was given the job permanently in 2007.

Combined years of experience working as a superintendent prior to Nashua: 0

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Viewing 3 Comments

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    So, I have a question Mr. Brindley..... Where do you suppose a future Superintendent acquire said experience??? Wait, before you answer that, what are the exact job skills required????

    Maybe some Administrative experience.
    Maybe some Human Resources experience
    Maybe a Masters Degree in Education or equivalent with experience as a school board member or employee

    It's not rocket science. As a 20 year veteran of the armed forces, I know plenty of people who are more than capable of filling those requirements. None of them however has been a school superintendent.

    Believe it or not, sometimes the best candidate for the job is happier where they already are. Sometimes the best available candidate does not apply and sometimes the best available candidate that does apply is someone who has the skills to do the job and do it well....

    Last I checked, President Obama didn't have any presidential experience until he took office.
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    I'm not really sure what you are asking me. I don't think I implied that I personally don't think someone can be a superintendent because they haven't been one before.

    Sandra Ziehm, one of the two board members who voted against Conrad, said in public that she specifically did not vote for him because he didn't have experience as a superintendent. The point of the blog posting was to show that it's regular practice for the city to hire first-time superintendents. That was all.
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    Michael,
    your commentary could have been taken either way. I'll admit that. You never mentioned Ms. Ziehm or the immediate situation in the commentary. Maybe Ms. Ziehm could respond?

    Thanks for replying.

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