Norwood School Committee Sparks Controversy Over Superintendent Search Committee Composition
On July 24, 1991, the Norwood School Committee became embroiled in a heated debate regarding the composition of the search committee tasked with finding a successor to outgoing Superintendent James Savage.
Meeting within the town’s administrative complex, committee members clashed over how to structure the 9-member panel, which currently included three school committee representatives and one past member.
School committee member Joseph Pentowski criticized the current setup as a “farce,” warning that public trust would suffer without broader community backing. He proposed expanding the search committee to 11 members by adding two representatives from the PTA while designating Chairwoman Marilyn Saltzberg as a non-voting member to offset school committee dominance. “I’m not complaining about the individuals, I’m concerned about the numbers. I don’t think the public will support this,” Joseph Pentowski argued. However, search committee chairman Timothy McDonough pushed back against the proposal, asserting that his authority should remain respected and that he would not be undermined. The power struggle was further complicated by the recent departure of search committee member Alan Uliss, leaving a vacancy that Timothy McDonough planned to temporarily fill until gathering final school committee recommendations. Meanwhile, search committee member Susan W. McQuid emphasized the necessity of incorporating fresh perspectives representing parents-at-large to ensure a well-rounded and objective hiring process for the district.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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The Norwood School Committee held a contentious session on the evening of July 2, 1974, where, following two weeks of deliberation and a lengthy 90-minute executive session, the board voted 5-1 to reject a proposal to create a new administrative position titled “floating principal.“ The concept, initially championed by Committee Member Joseph M. Pentowski, was…
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Norwood Sets $38 Tax Rate on Court-Ordered 100% Property Valuation for 1972-August 16, 1972
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Norwood Jr. High Offered Land At $9,500 An Acre-September 30, 1971
The Norwood School Committee recommends the Endean area in Walpole as the site for a new junior high school, facing sharp questioning from town meeting members over rising costs and site shifts.
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