We wish to note the knowledgeable and inclusive demeanor and derivative intelligence about public school education and its imperatives expressed by acting Superintendent of Schools William Hart.
At the School Committee meeting Monday night, he acted with a great deal of steadiness and understanding. He was prepared. He was articulate, and he spoke and presented himself with the demeanor of a full time superintendent who had been running things for quite some time.
In fact, he’s been at it less than a month, which made his performance all the more compelling.
We do not believe Superintendent Priya Tahiliani will be welcomed back to her position. She will remain on administrative leave until the end of her contract, most likely.
Whether or not acting Superintendent Hart is appointed full time superintendent by the present school committee or the new school committee to be convened in January is irrelevant.
By all appearances, Hart’s performance early on is exactly what residents, students, activists, school committee members and superintendent search committee members would expect and demand from a full time superintendent.
Hart will make a superb appointment as a full time superintendent.
The way he handled the security issue facing many schools in Massachusetts right now speaks volumes about his ability to deal with a very scary important issue by not losing his cool, by not giving in to hysteria, and by moving quickly to shut the door literally on problems the FBI has raised questions about with strangers trying to get inside public schools without being invited.
From our perspective, Hart is a near to perfect choice for permanent superintendent.
There is no need to waste time and money searching for someone better from the outside.
It doesn’t get any better than William Hart of Everett for the position of School Superintendent.