To All Claypit Hill Parents and Staff Members,

I am writing to begin the process through which we, as a community, will search for and select a new principal for the Claypit Hill Elementary School. For the past 9 years, Claypit Hill has enjoyed the skilled, resourceful leadership of Ms. Debbie Bearse. The loss of Ms. Bearse’s rich institutional knowledge of Wayland’s schools (going back over 30 years) and her devotion to her many students will be greatly missed upon her retirement. I am confident, however, that we will find a strong leader who will enthusiastically step into the role. I plan to engage staff members and parents in this hiring process. I will be asking for representatives to serve on a Selection Advisory Committee*. The hiring process essentially has three stages:

1. The first stage in this process is to hold informational meetings during which we will outline the hiring process. We will also be surveying parents and staff members, asking them to describe the type of principal they envision leading the school both now and into the future. In December, we will begin advertising for the position. I invite you to attend one of the meetings listed below.
2. The second stage will be to ask parents and the school faculty to create a process through which they will send representatives to the Selection Advisory Committee who will represent the diverse membership of each constituency group. The Committee will sort through all resumes, choose candidates for an interview, interview these candidates, and recommend finalists for consideration. I will outline the details regarding the Committee’s composition and timeline at the open informational meetings noted above.
3. The third stage will involve candidate visits and open forums during which parents and staff members will be given the opportunity to interview and hear from each finalist. Once I receive this input, check references, and conduct follow-up interviews, I will select the successful candidate.

Choosing a principal for Claypit Hill is an extremely important decision. My intention is to give the community voice, which in turn will enable me to make the right choice for Wayland.

We have scheduled this process such that it will be completed before February vacation. To begin, we encourage you to attend a principal search informational meeting. Please join us:

• Parent Meeting Monday, November 24 9:00 A.M. Claypit Tech Lab
• Faculty Meeting Monday, November 24 3:30 P.M. Claypit Library

Sincerely,

Paul Stein
Superintendent

* The Selection Advisory Committee will be composed of 5 faculty members, 4 parents (including a METCO parent), a teaching assistant, an administrative assistant, a central office administrator, an elementary curriculum director, and a principal.