Dracut shouldn’t rush in replacing Mullin
By Shawn on Nov 6, 2009 in Articles, Schools
The Dracut School Committee was handed an unexpected challenge this week when Superintendent W. Spencer Mullin sent the chairman a single-sentence notification of his decision to retire, effective March 3.
Filling the top school post within the next four months would require School Committee members to rush through the search and selection process. The Sun believes this would be an imprudent plan.
Instead, Dracut should consider filling the position with an interim superintendent while a thorough search for top-notch candidates is conducted.
Typically, it is rather difficult to fill school positions in the middle of the academic year, but it is particularly tough to hire a new superintendent at that time. Most come on board during the summer months and have a little time to review the system before teachers, staff and students return for a new academic year.
The Sun has a suggestion for the Dracut School Committee: Why not ask former Superintendent Elaine Espindle if she would be interested in serving as interim superintendent?
Espindle served as superintendent for 10 years until her departure last summer. Certainly, she knows how the school system works and could hit the ground running. She is also adept at crafting and reworking budgets, which would serve Dracut well in the current stressful economic times.
The former superintendent resides in Dracut and had extensive school administrative experience. There would be no learning curve, no unknown factors, if Espindle were temporarily put back in charge.
It is disappointing that Mullin decided to retire after only a little more than a year at the helm of Dracut’s school system, but the committee and the community should look at this as an opportunity rather than a problem. It is a chance to conduct an extensive search for a top-notch academic administrator who will embrace the system’s challenges and be dedicated to making significant improvements.
The Sun urges the Dracut School Committee to conduct a thorough search for Mullin’s replacement.
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