GREENFIELD — The search for Greenfield’s next superintendent has officially begun, as the School Committee voted Friday to create an 11-member superintendent hiring committee.
The committee will consist of three School Committee representatives, three school district staff members, three parents or caregivers, and two other community members. It will be tasked with finding a replacement for former Superintendent Karin Patenaude, who resigned from her position in July. The salary would be between $180,000 and $200,000.
“I know it sounds like a lot [of money]. It is a lot … when you look at the field around and think about the experience that it takes to do this job and the kind of experience we want someone to bring to this job,” School Committee Vice Chair Stacey Sexton said. “We need to be able to pay the premium that it takes to get the staff that we want.”
Interim Superintendent Roland Joyal Jr. presented the committee with data on salary ranges posted by other districts in the region also seeking new superintendents, and said the committee needed to be cognizant of its needs.
“You are the county seat here in Franklin County, so you are the big guy,” Joyal said. “With that comes different issues that you deal with, whether it’s the special education population, low-income population, high-needs population, ESL (English as a second language) population — you’re generally going to have more of that.”
The New England School Development Council posted the position on Oct. 14. Applications are due by Dec. 1, after which point applicants will be reviewed by the hiring committee.
School Committee members added that it would be important to include a parent of a special needs student on the hiring committee, and that public outreach is important to ensure the hiring committee reflects the wants and needs of the community while hiring the next superintendent.
More information on the search and how members of the public can participate will be posted to a new superintendent search page at gpsk12.org/school-committee/superintendent-search.