Supt. Search ‘Very Competitive’

By Chris Camire, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.

Feb. 10–TYNGSBORO — Twenty-seven candidates applied. Nine were interviewed. Four finalists were chosen.

Now, the School Committee has just over a month to decide who is best suited to lead the Tyngsboro school system into the future.

“Any of the four are worthy to be the next superintendent,” said School Committee member Burt Buchman, who chaired the superintendent screening committee. “It was a very competitive search.”

The finalists are superintendents and assistant superintendents. They have doctoral degrees in education and philosophy. They have worked as principals, teachers and business administrators.

Susan King received her doctorate in education from Boston University and has been superintendent for the Montvale, N.J. public schools for 12 years. She also has been an assistant superintendent in Milburn, N.J., and for the Triton Regional Schools District in Massachusetts. She previously spent 11 years as a principal in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

King grew up in Massachusetts and moved to New Jersey

to be closer to her parents, who have both since died. Her brother and many of her friends still live in the Bay State.

“I’m looking for the opportunity to work with groups of people,” said King, on what skills she will bring to Tyngsboro. “Good decisions are often made with the input of a lot of people.”

Darrell Lockwood has been superintendent for SAU 19 in Goffstown, N.H., for the past decade. In the 1980s, he was the business administrator there.

Before becoming superintendent, Lockwood was director of professional development for Area Cooperative Services in Hamden, Conn.

He also was an assistant superintendent for 10 years in both East Haven, Conn., and SAU 16 in Exeter, N.H. He received his doctorate in education from Boston College.

Lynne Celli Sarasin is in her third year as deputy superintendent for Lexington schools. Sarasin has also been a director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional development in the Gardner public schools. Previously, she was an elementary-school principal and a literacy-curriculum specialist in Leominster. She received her doctorate in philosophy from Boston College.

Sarasin was recently a finalist for the superintendent job in the Dover-Sherbon schools that went to Southern Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent Valarie Spriggs. In interviews for that position, Sarasin described her leadership style as “collaborative.”

“When we are faced with goals, decisions or problems, we do it together,” Sarasin told the The Dover-Sherbon Press.

Christine Tyrie has served as superintendent of SAU 24 in Henniker, N.H., for the past five years. Prior to that, she was an assistant superintendent in Plymouth, Mass.; superintendent of SAU 18 in Franklin, N.H.; and an assistant superintendent in Hardwick, Vt. She received her doctorate in education from the University of Sarasota in Florida.

Tyrie was also a finalist for the Dover-Sherbon job and a finalist for a superintendent position in Natick. She is retiring from her current job at the end of this school year.

According to a story in The Concord Monitor, while at SAU 24, Tyrie has focused on standardizing the curriculum across the district’s schools. She also concentrated on improving technology.

The finalists were chosen by a 15-member screening committee made up of parents, teachers, administrators, support staff, elected officials, community members and students.

The School Committee will invite the finalists to visit the school district and take part in public interviews in the coming weeks.

Some School Committee members will likely visit the school districts of some of the finalists, as well.

The committee is expected to pick the new superintendent on March 11.

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