Framingham Begins Search Process For Hemenway Elementary Principal

In full transparency, the following is a press release from the Framingham Public Schools submitted to SOURCE media.

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FRAMINGHAM – Hemenway Elementary School Principal Liz Simon announced her retirement at the end of this school year. 

Simon is extremely proud of her 46 year career in public education, including more than 35 years in Framingham, 30 of which have been at Hemenway Elementary with the last seven years as the school’s Principal.

She started her career in Woburn as a Special Education Teacher before working in Malden and then finding her way to Framingham Public Schools. With a foundation in special education and a passion for problem solving, Simon’s career has been dedicated to offering social-emotional support to children and helping teachers with their classroom needs. 

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work alongside Ms. Simon since I arrived in Framingham in 2017,” said Superintendent Bob Tremblay. “Her dedication to the Hemenway community shows in everything she does. While her time here in Framingham began long before I arrived, I am grateful for her many years of service and wish her the very best of health, success, and happiness in her next chapter.”

The Principal position has been posted and the District is currently seeking candidates to apply. Framingham community members are also encouraged to participate in the search and hiring process of identifying the new leadership for Hemenway Elementary School.

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The Position

The principal of Hemenway Elementary School will promote and advance the educational development of each student through leadership, supervision, and administrative skills and build a climate of life-long learning in the school through the establishment of an effective staff development program in order to provide overall support with the goal of maintaining high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic proficiency for all students, and the offer equitable access to students in disenfranchised groups within the school. Achieving academic excellence requires that the Elementary School Principal work collaboratively to lead and nurture all members of the school staff and to communicate effectively with parents, members of the community, and colleagues in other districts and schools. Inherent in the position are the responsibilities for planning, curriculum development, program evaluation, extracurricular activities, personnel management, financial management, emergency procedures, resource scheduling, and facilities operations. 

The Process

The District is actively pursuing volunteers to join the Initial Candidate Screening Committee, Stakeholder Screening Committees, as well as, to gather input on the characteristics and priorities to be considered when seeking candidates. While we recognize it is a big time commitment, these are important steps to ensuring community involvement in selecting the right leader for Hemenway Elementary School. Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Community Members are encouraged to apply to join.

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The process for the search will be as follows:

Round 1: Initial Candidate Screening Committee: We are seeking 12 volunteers to serve on the Round 1 Screening Committee. The Screening Committee will consist of 4 parents/community members, 4 educators, and 4 administrators. Members selected for this part of the process will:

• Establish key characteristics of a Principal at Hemenway Elementary School
• Review resumes and applications, and
• Recommend 7-10 initial candidates who will proceed to Round 2.

Round 2: Stakeholder Screening Committees Interviews: We are seeking up to 30 volunteers to serve on the Round 2 Interviews. There will be three (3) separate screening committees each representing a stakeholder group: parents/community members, educators, and administrators. Members selected for this part of the process will:

• Meet with their respective stakeholder group to conduct 30-minute interviews with the 7-10 selected candidates from Round 1 and rate their performance.
• No more than 10 individuals will make up each stakeholder group.
• At the end of Round 2, 5 or so candidates will proceed to Round 3.

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Round 3: Cabinet and Superintendent of Schools Interviews: The Superintendent and his Cabinet will interview the candidates who progress from Round 2 and submit 2-3 finalists.

Round 4: Virtual Finalists Forum: The finalists will spend the day at Hemenway and meet with stakeholders of the Hemenway community and answer questions (anticipated to take place the first/second week of April).

The District is seeking volunteers to join the screening committee during either Round 1 or Round 2 of the interview process.  If you wish to be considered, please complete this Application by March 4, 2022. Screening Committees will be announced the following week. 

All Screening Committee members must undergo a full training, which includes an anti-bias training, and commit to a significant amount of time. All meetings will be virtual. Screening Committee members will have work to complete outside of designated meeting times and MUST attend ALL meetings for their respective Round.

The Timing and Commitment

Round 1 Dates: Initial Candidate Screening Committee Meetings 

• Orientation: March 14 (6 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 15 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) 
• Selection Process: March 21 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 22 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 23 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm)

Round 2 Dates: Stakeholder Screening Committee Interviews 

• Orientation: March 15 (6 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 16 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 17 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) (if needed)
• Interviews: March 28 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 29 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 30 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) | March 31 (4:30 pm – 8:30 pm) (if needed) 

In rare circumstances, dates will need to change to ensure a better pool of applicants; in such a case, an announcement will be made as soon as possible. 

It is very important for us to have a diverse screening committee that celebrates and mirrors the diversity of our students.  Please complete the application BY March 4. 

If you cannot commit to a Screening Committee but still want to be involved, please complete the Focus Group Survey by March 9 to help us identify key characteristics for the Principal of Hemenway Elementary School.