1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,080 Good evening, and welcome to our special meeting for Monday, March 31st, 2025. I'd like to call 2 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:17,760 this meeting to order, and we'll begin with roll call. Bridget Cronin, here, Alicia Johnson, 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:25,440 here, Sarah Julie, here, Emily Martin, here, Laurel Reagan, here, and Leslie Zammer, here. 4 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:31,120 Thank you. Tonight we have one item under new business. We will not be taking public comment 5 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:37,120 on this item because it is a personnel matter. With that, can I have a motion to approve the 6 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:44,000 hiring of Steve Nolan as superintendent of schools beginning July 1st, 2025? Thank you, 7 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:50,800 Alicia. And a second, thank you, Leslie. Before I open this up for discussion, I'd like to welcome 8 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:57,120 and acknowledge Steve, who's in attendance with us this evening. This motion is voted on, 9 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:03,280 approve Steve's hiring as our next superintendent with a three-year contract beginning July 1st, 10 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,120 2025. With that, I'll open the floor to board discussion. 11 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:23,120 I have a prepared statement. I grew up with Falmouth, and I came back with my family. I have been here 12 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:32,960 and aware of many iterations of superintendent stewardship in our schools, and this is the 13 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:38,800 first one that I've been directly involved in, and it's a really big deal. So it is with full 14 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,720 fledged enthusiasm and an informed glimpse of the future of family public schools that I proudly 15 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:50,480 vote to appoint Steve Nolan as the superintendent of family schools starting July 1st, 2025. 16 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,800 It has already been widely communicated by the board, the incredible depth of experience Mr. 17 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:04,080 Nolan has over 10 years as superintendent in a complex main district, RSU-40. Over 10 years as an 18 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,960 assistant principal and principal of Lincoln Middle School just down the road in Portland, 19 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:16,080 as well as 10 years as a math teacher. Mr. Nolan is clearly committed to public education 20 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,360 excellence. His depth and breadth of experience speaks to that, as does his significant knowledge 21 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:27,200 of main law and the main department of education. The results he has achieved in all phases of his 22 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:35,280 career speak to his vision, his fortitude, and the deep responsibility he feels to all students. 23 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,920 This vote, I'd like to take a little bit of my preamble, 24 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:48,000 kind of touched on how important I think this decision is. This vote is perhaps the 25 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:54,240 most important vote any school board member can make. For this board, it is also the culmination 26 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,880 of lots of transparent and thorough work by the Falmouth School Board, especially by our chair 27 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:05,440 of the superintendent's search, Alicia Johnson. In coordination with Dave Durasi at the New England 28 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,400 School Development Council, also known as Men's Deck, the board developed a survey that 29 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:17,440 nearly 375 stakeholders completed, executed multiple focus groups for Falmouth citizens to 30 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:23,040 give further input and a separate focus group for staff in which a wide variety of Falmouth 31 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,080 School staff participated. All of that effort generated significant feedback that informed 32 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:34,080 both the candidate profile as well as the secondary document tasks and challenges in year one. 33 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:39,120 These documents guided the screening committee's task of narrowing down the applicant pool 34 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,400 to the candidates put forward to the board to interview and complete 35 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,680 extensive reference tasks. The screening committee was composed of 10 individuals of varying 36 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:54,400 degrees of involvement in our schools and broader community. Six of the members are residents of 37 00:03:54,400 --> 00:04:00,320 Falmouth and parents and grandparents of Falmouth students. The board then used these documents 38 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:05,600 as a rubric of sorts when evaluating the finalists. Our community has greatly 39 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:10,800 informed this process and for that I'm not only grateful but confident in her choice we 40 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,600 are making tonight. While the under review process is confidential I would like to share 41 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:21,200 with folks when they watch this a few of my observations and impressions of Mr. Nolan, 42 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:26,400 that's okay. He's a highly organized leader and articulated and informed leader with 43 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:31,360 strong clear communication skills and an individual who understands the value of 44 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:36,880 strong leadership. However I would also guess that he has the confidence to let 45 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:42,000 actions speak louder than words when appropriate. I look forward to getting Mr. 46 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:47,440 to know Mr. Nolan further and working together but more importantly I look forward to our community 47 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,960 meeting him and vice versa. Welcome to Falmouth School State. I'm very optimistic about your 48 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,720 future with us in the next phase of our schools. Thank you for joining us. 49 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,040 I may repeat a little what Emily said but hopefully not so much. 50 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,080 First I would like to thank Alicia for her time and effort spearheading the superintendent 51 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:15,120 search process. She worked tirelessly and compressed time frame to facilitate the search 52 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:20,080 in an organized thoughtful and streamlined manner. Alicia I really appreciate all your 53 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,960 hard work. This was an important job and our schools and community will reap the benefits 54 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:30,080 from your very deliberate and professional process. Second I want to thank our community 55 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,960 students, parents, staff and other community members for their involvement in the search 56 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:40,240 process. The community's feedback regarding attributes necessary for superintendent success 57 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,720 collected through focus groups and surveys was the basis for the successful candidate profile. 58 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,840 This profile was my point of reference for evaluating our superintendent candidates. 59 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:56,160 I constantly refer to the four categories of expertise highlighted educational leadership, 60 00:05:56,160 --> 00:06:00,960 engaged communicator, collaborative leadership practitioner, and experienced operations and 61 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:06,720 management leader. Steve Nolan meets each and every one of these requirements. Steve as Emily 62 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:11,360 mentioned, Steve spent a decade as a math teacher, a decade as a middle school administrator, 63 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:16,400 and most recently a decade as a superintendent. The long tenure at his previous districts 64 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:20,160 highlights the deep commitment Steve demonstrates to the communities he serves. 65 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,120 Steve's previous classroom experiences help him understand the day-to-day challenges 66 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:30,160 and opportunities our teachers and administrators encounter. Having a superintendent with this 67 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:35,200 experience is invaluable for both decision-making as well as relationship building. Steve's 68 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,680 steady demeanor and thoughtful, collaborative, data-driven approach to decision-making is 69 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:44,640 an asset I very much appreciate. Steve is the right person to build on our district's 70 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:49,440 strong foundation and lead us as we strive for constant improvement and I'm very excited 71 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,560 to welcome Steve Nolan as now it's next superintendent. Welcome. 72 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:03,360 I too am looking forward to voting in support of hiring Steve Nolan as superintendent of our 73 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:08,320 schools. I believe Steve's depth of experience in the role of superintendent will serve our 74 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:12,880 community well. While Steve's career has been dedicated to students coast to coast, 75 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:18,080 the majority of it has been committed to main students as a teacher through building principal 76 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,520 through superintendent. Given that and Steve's even temperament and diligent nature, I believe 77 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:28,240 Steve will easily transition into family schools and be able to get right to work with the 78 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,400 myriad of leaders we have in this district aligned under the common goal to deliver 79 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:37,680 an excellent public education to our students setting them up for the fulfilling lives of 80 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,400 their futures. I'd also like to thank Alicia, NASDEC and our screening committee for 81 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:47,760 committing to a professional process that did not sacrifice quality for neither speed nor 82 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:53,360 transparency and I'm happy to be concluding the process with the best fit for Falmouth. Welcome. 83 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:03,360 The role to be voting in support of Steve Nolan as Falmouth's new superintendent of schools. 84 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:08,400 Steve has a vision for education and the leadership skills to carry out that vision. 85 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,840 This includes deep listening, a collaborative approach and a proven track record of 86 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:19,760 educational excellence. In addition, Steve stands behind equitable and inclusive practices 87 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:25,040 with deep consideration for all students in the district. I'm looking forward to his tenure. 88 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,000 Welcome. Thank you, Sarah. 89 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:38,320 I am also enthusiastic and optimistic about voting for Steve Nolan as our next superintendent 90 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:45,600 of Falmouth schools. I believe this is a truly community-wide intergenerational effort 91 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:51,440 and process put forth by Alicia. I feel like it does represent the majority of our community 92 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:56,480 and I appreciate everyone's input and thorough communication with answers to 93 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,960 different questionnaires and participating in the various outlets that Alicia provided. 94 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:09,920 I'm enthusiastic also about Steve's wealth of experience. Everything from his collective 95 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:16,400 bargaining to budget process are things I'm eager to learn from and with around these things. 96 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:21,840 I think he'll be a tremendous mentor and work with developing our in-house talent that we 97 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,640 have so much of already in the district as we continue to evolve and grow. 98 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:34,640 These are his words, not mine, but he prioritizes growth, innovation, and excellence in education, 99 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:41,840 which I think is exactly what Falmouth needs. So I, as a former yachtsman, now navigator, 100 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:47,280 so excited to welcome you to the district. Best of luck. 101 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:59,840 Thank you. I am also really excited to vote tonight to appoint Steve as our next superintendent 102 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:07,440 of Falmouth schools. This board took this job very seriously and demanded a transparent process, 103 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:14,000 which I think we did provide that always included our community and let them know where we were 104 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:19,920 each step of the way. And so I want to thank my colleagues for your diligent work because you guys 105 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:28,160 did do a lot of diligent research and thought-provoking questions and things along the way. And I also 106 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:33,200 want to give a big shout out to the screening committee who did the hard work of screening 107 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:38,880 our candidates who we had excellent candidates and Mr. Nolan rose to the top. 108 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:46,960 And so I believe his experience in starting out as a teacher and then as an administrator, 109 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:52,480 and now as a superintendent, has made him thoroughly prepared for your next 110 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:59,280 school here at Falmouth schools, the mastery, your mastery of main school budgets, laws, 111 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,400 and policies, your collaborative leadership. And most importantly, I think your 112 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:13,840 goal of always putting students first is what makes you the perfect fit for our schools here. 113 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:19,600 And your resume and leadership style match exactly what our community, as many have said, 114 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,880 hundreds of people who filled out our survey and participated in our focus groups, 115 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:30,800 it matches who they've asked us to bring forward in a candidate. And so I'm really 116 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,920 excited for them to get to know you and for this school board to work alongside you 117 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:39,280 to continue the good work of this school district. Thank you. 118 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:46,560 Thanks, Alicia. And I'm just going to echo all the words of excitement and optimism 119 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:51,760 for our next superintendent, Stephen Nolan. I want to extend my deep appreciation to 120 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:57,120 Alicia Johnson for her steadfast leadership as our superintendent's search liaison. 121 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:02,400 And also a thank you to Leslie Zammer for her work alongside Alicia as part of the selection 122 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:07,760 hiring committee. Working with our consultants at NASDAQ over these last three months have 123 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:13,920 produced a process where we as a community were able to take abundant community feedback in the 124 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:19,920 form of surveys and Zoom meetings and with the community develop a vision for what Falmouth 125 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:25,200 is looking for in our next superintendent. We are so fortunate that the selection committee 126 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:31,440 had a great group of applicants to choose from that they approached this task with great dedication 127 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:36,320 and that they delivered Steve as a finalist for the full board to interview for this most important 128 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:41,840 job. I have great confidence that Steve with his exceptional educational background, 129 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:47,520 which includes classroom teaching, building administration and central office experience 130 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:53,280 and who is so well respected by his teachers, by students, by parents and community members 131 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:58,800 of the five towns he leads, I am confident that he will continue and create here and 132 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:05,840 prioritize and execute a long-term plan that brings consistency in practices, services, 133 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:12,160 resources and academic supports across the entire district. Steve has demonstrated in his 134 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:18,160 years at RSU 40 that he is an effective communicator and has a collaborative approach to work with 135 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:23,680 all involved in the schools and in our greater community and he is developing the relationships 136 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:29,520 needed to support all students improvement in the district. We're lucky to have him as our next 137 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,480 leader of leaders and I'm honored in the capacity of the Falmouth school board member to cast my 138 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:41,520 vote for him this evening. And with that we'll close for discussion on this matter and I'll 139 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:47,040 call for the vote. All those in favor of approving Steve Nolan as our next superintendent 140 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:55,680 of schools. The vote carries 7-0. Thank you and congratulations to Mr. Nolan. 141 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:16,000 Steve, since you drove all the way here for what 13 minute vote would you like to offer a few 142 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:17,280 comments to the board? 143 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:29,360 Well thank you very much. I appreciate your kind words. I think what I want to talk about the most 144 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:37,600 is how much I appreciate the thorough and thoughtful search process. I was impressed from the 145 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:43,920 beginning by the feedback from the focus groups, the representative panel you put together 146 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,760 for the interview process, the opportunity to tour the schools, a chance to meet with the 147 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:59,200 administrative team and of course our meaningful discussion. This experience for me, I think 148 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:18,000 Reflects the excellence that I see in this organization, and I'm really excited to work together with you to do the best for our students and to build on the success of foundless schools, so thank you again very much, go NAFs. 149 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Thank you Steve, we all look forward to working with you. 150 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:38,000 And with that, can I have a motion to adjourn? Thank you Bridget, and as I can, thank you Emily, all those in favor, motion carries 7-0, we are adjourned, thank you and good night.