By Jesaias Benitez and Rebecca Pereria
In the upcoming months, the Malden Public School district will be expecting administrative changes, as some interim administrators will be replaced by permanent administrators, most notable, the principal of the high school.
Superintendent John Oteri stated that the new principal of Malden High School, according to his initial timeline, should be introduced to the public prior to April vacation. In a recent edition of Nedlam News, it is stated that the hiring of new principal should occur early to mid-April. Oteri wanted to hold focus groups so that the student body, faculty, and parents and guardians could give input before making the decision. With the intention to collect as much feedback as possible, Oteri invited former superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, Tony Pierantozzi, who is experienced in the process of hiring school principals, to aid in the coordination of these focus groups. What Oteri is looking for is a leader who can work with diverse learners, is open-minded, has “impeccable integrity”, and is a good communicator.
In order to choose the new principal, Oteri has come up with an interview committee made up of students which consists of the student rep on the school committee, Junior Birukti Tsige, the student government, two parents, three teachers, two administrators, a community member and a school committee member.
Oteri is directly involved in this shift through the hiring process of a new principal for Malden High School. Former principal Ted Lombardi had announced his resignation would be in early 2018 before winter vacation, making Boyle house principal Chris Mastrangelo interim principal and history teacher Richard Tivnan interim house principal.
In a previous interview with The Blue and Gold, Lombardi shared he originally planned “to do the rest of this year [2017-2018] and see that out and have more of a normal transition.” However, he was unable to due this to an opportunity that was presented to him which not only allows him to do the work that he really cares about, which is “to work in urban education, but also to do so in a job that allows [him] a little more control over [his] time and allows [him] to spend more, in quantity and in quality, time with [his] family too.”
The past three years, MHS has had three different principals. From Dana Brown to Lombardi to the current principal, Mastrangelo. Students and staff are now looking for someone who will be permanent.
In the past, some of the characteristics Tivnan has valued in a principal were “consistency, fairness [in] discipline, understanding [that] every kid is different, [and] making judgement calls based on each individual case.” One attribute he likes is “ when people are seen throughout the halls”. This can be seen from interacting with the students and staff in the morning to after school in clubs or even as they exit the building. When the new principal is introduced to the school, one thing Tivnan hopes to see is “a little bit more of going back to the basics, some more stability because of all of the change that [the school has] had… a lot of the issues would be fixed with stability at the top.” With this, many students will feel more comfortable and encouraged to come to school and learn. Likewise, staff will also feel encouraged to teach.
Being a principal for 23 years prior to her arrival and completing her 10th year at MHS, Holland House Principal Marilyn Slattery is looking for someone more than an administrator. Slattery shared that she likes change, but doesn’t have a preference in regards to the applicant’s background, saying that she wouldn’t mind seeing “someone come in or be here already.” She tells teachers that “[they] need to get to a certain part of [their] curriculum by the end of the year” to meet the educational needs of students, “but how they get there is [their] idea.” For Slattery, what matters is getting to where they need to be. Slattery looks at it the same for a principal, “[to] have a plan, [but] how we get there is up to them . . . as long as we get there.”
Jenkins House principal Shereen Escovitz wants a principal that “[puts] students first” and “really [values] school leaders who know all the kids, who know all of their stories and put them at the forefront at all of their decision making.” Escovitz thinks “that’s the most valuable asset you can find in a principal.”
Over the years, the understaffing of teachers has been a major issue. Escovitz mentioned that classrooms are “really overflowing and there are just more and more kids that are coming. We’re hoping our best to make sure everybody’s needs are met and that everybody gets a quality education which [she thinks] they do get here but [they’re] kind of reaching a breaking point in terms of not having enough staff,” so Escovitz thinks the school needs “someone that’s going to go to the school committee and to state senators and to whoever is willing to open their door and listen and fight for us and say ‘we need more staff here at Malden High School. We need more teachers, more counselors, more administrators, more everybody.’” Not only would it improve the learning environment for the students, but also assist teachers.
The recurring issues most faculty are looking for the new principal to address are school safety and understaffing. Although staffing is more of a budget issue instead of a principal issue, safety in the school can be improved. From the smallest change to major changes, it is all to benefit the school.
The shift in administration is also affecting parents and guardians.
Although it doesn’t affect them directly, the change in administration affects their children. Guardians or parents need to make sure the new principal is a right-fit for the school and not just temporary for a short period.
As Ari Taylor explained, “it is always nerve-wracking when there is change—but it sometimes leads to good things.”
Fern Remedi-Brown said that though she cannot speak for all parents or guardians, she thinks the candidate best fit for MHS principal should “be familiar with Malden politics, [be] able to work with the Superintendent, Mr. Oteri, and with the School Committee, and the person must be dedicated to public education. . . the person must [also] be dedicated to eradicating systemic racism and other oppressions (LGBTQ, religious oppression, disabilities, etc.) within Malden High School, and committed to setting up forums and competency training for staff and faculty, as well as having students organize teach-ins and proactive events, with the support of clubs or teachers.¨
As the search continues for the most fit candidate, Oteri is working with a variety of resources to collaborate with the Malden community on finding a permanent principal for MHS.
