Fall River school board wants public input on new superintendent. How to take the survey.
FALL RIVER — The School Committee is seeking input into what parents, teachers, students and members of the general public want to see in the next school superintendent.
Fall River Public Schools sent parents an online survey asking for guidance in the committee’s upcoming superintendent search.
Superintendent Maria Pontes announced recently that she’s retiring as of June 30. She led the city’s schools as interim superintendent starting in 2021, with the job being made permanent in September 2022.
Pontes has worked nearly four decades in the city’s school system.
She emigrated from the Azores to the United States in the 1960s with her family, when she was 8 years old. She began her educational career at St. Michael’s School, teaching elementary grade levels. She moved to Kuss Middle School, where she became the head of the humanities department. After 20 years of classroom teaching, she became vice principal at Greene Elementary School, principal at Doran Community School, principal at B.M.C. Durfee High School, and in 2020 her career took her to district-wide administration positions.
Stepping down: Fall River Superintendent Maria Pontes retiring after almost four decades in city schools
What is Fall River looking for in a new superintendent?
The survey asks respondents to describe what a successful term as a superintendent would look like, asks for a list of challenges people think the school system is facing, and has space to include questions people would like the school board’s screening committee to ask prospective candidates.
The School Committee has voted to retain the services of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees in its search.
Take the survey: Click here to voice your opinion on the new superintendent
According to a job listing on the MASC website, the deadline for applications is April 30. Semifinalists are set to be interviewed in the week of May 6, with finalists to be selected May 13 and interviewed later in May. A vote would be taken to appoint the superintendent on or about June 7.
Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River new superintendent search: Take school board's survey
