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3-20-2023 4:06pm
School Committee Announces Three Finalists for New WPS Superintendent (UPDATED 3/29/23)
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Westwood's School Committee has revealed the names of the three finalists who are being considered for the position of Superintendent of Westwood Public Schools (WPS), a position being vacated by current Superintendent Emily Parks at the end of the current academic year, and all are from outside the district. The candidates are:
- Ian P. Kelly, Interim Superintendent of Dedham Public Schools;
- Rebecca H. Kidwell, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment & Professional Development of Rockland Public Schools; and
- Timothy P. Piwowar, Superintendent of Billerica Public Schools.
SCHEDULE OF COMMUNITY FORUMS AND CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, the School Committee is holding community forums for members of the public to get to know the candidates, with a day devoted to each candidate. In addition to a community forum for each candidate, the School Committee will conduct each candidate interview in public.
Wednesday, March 22nd : Mr. Piwowar
Location: Westwood High School Little Theater
5:45 p.m. -6:30 p.m. Community Forum
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. School Committee Interview
Thursday, March 23rd: Ms. Kidwell
Location: Westwood Public Library
5:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Community Forum
7:00 p.m . - 8:00 p.m. School Committee Interview
Friday, March 24th: Dr. Kelly
Location: Westwood High School Little Theatre
8:00 a.m. - 9:00. a.m. School Committee Interview
4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Community Forum
The community forums and School Committee interviews will be live streamed and recorded by Westwood Media Center, and will be released simultaneously to the public on Friday, March 24, 2023.
The three candidate names were submitted to the School Committee by a search committee comprised of the following representatives:
- Tony Mullin, Co-Chair -- Member, School Committee
- Maya Plotkin, Co-Chair -- Member, School Committee
- Rob Gotti -- Chair, Westwood Select Board
- Lateefah Franck -- Director of Equity, Integration & Community Partnerships, Westwood Public Schools
- Amy Davenport -- Principal, Westwood High School
- Kristen Evans -- Principal, Sheehan School
- Tien-lih Chen -- Teacher, Deerfield School
- Justyne Collier - Teacher, Thurston Middle School
- Alison Donahue -- Teacher, Westwood High School
- Emily Kessel -- Teacher, Hanlon School
- Orla Averill -- Parent
- Theresa Laham -- Parent
- Brian Regan -- Parent
- Liz Volpe -- Parent
- Riley Harrington -- Westwood High School Student
The new superintendent is expected to be selected the following week of March 27th with a start date of July 1, 2023.
The current WPS superintendent, Emily Parks, announced at the end of 2022 that she would be departing from her position at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 academic year. She will move on to become executive director of The Education Cooperative.
Updated 3/29/2023. Hyperlinks have been corrected. 3/20/2023 at 10:13 p.m. It was incorrectly stated that each candidate interview takes place after a community forum. A correction and clarification has been made, as Dr. Kelly's interview takes place on Friday, before that day's community forum.
