MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Monday, the Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) Special Committee on Superintendent Search crafted the wording of an advertisement to be used to attract new superintendent candidates.
The job description approved by the board used a description from Portsmouth as a template, replacing references to Portsmouth with references to Manchester as well as what was mostly minor alterations.
The largest change was proposed by Ward 5 Board BOSC Member Jason Bonilla, who asked to replace the word “urban community” with “historically marginalized and under-resourced community.”
Bonilla and Manchester School District Chief Equity Officer Tina Philibotte stated that the word “urban” in this context is an outdated way of referencing to people of color, with Bonilla adding that replacing that term with “historically marginalized and under-resourced” would not only recognize the need to build learning equity for students who may have felt forgotten in the past, but would also urge applicants to help motivate those students as well as educators working with those students.
There were concerns that using that term could dissuade candidates who had not worked in districts with comparable problems in the past, although Philibotte noted that dissuading applications from candidates who may not be comfortable in Manchester would help expedite the candidate winnowing process.
At-Large BOSC Member and Committee Chairman Jim O’Connell also asked that “historically marginalized and under-resourced community” be pluralized to reflect that the “community” being discussed is not Manchester as a whole, but the various components of the Black, Indigenous People and Other People of Color (BIPOC) in Manchester. O’Connell’s concern was that people would see the city as lacking resources and marginalized rather than specific marginalized ethnicities.
Another recommendation included in the job description requested a five-year commitment to the position if hired. Wording from Manchester School District Communications and Community Outreach Director Andrew Tolland still being developed will also be added.
The wording goes to the full BOSC for final approval next week.
The committee agreed to begin screening applications starting on April 29, with a final recommendation to the full BOSC by May 27.