Interim Amherst schools superintendent Maria Geryk offered permanent post for one year
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AMHERST - Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk will be able to remove the "interim" from her title -- but only for a year -- as a result of votes by the Regional School Committee and the Union 26 school committee on Sunday.
After a number of ballots that split the committees largely between Geryk and California educator John Bayless, committee member Irv Rhodes proposed breaking the deadlock by offering Geryk a one-year contract that would include goal-setting and an evaluation. That move passed the regional committee by a 6-3 vote and the Union 26 committee by a 4-2 vote. Geryk would remain interim superintendent through July 1; the contract would then take effect and extend to June 30, 2012.
Geryk, 46, met the public and had an interview with the School Committee on Thursday. She has been interim superintendent since last March, when Alberto Rodriguez suddenly resigned, and she also filled the position for four months in 2009.
"I have a unifying vision for the district," she said. "The greatest need is to activate a collective commitment so staff and families clearly understand where we're moving and have a voice in the process and are responsible for outcomes."
Geryk joined the Amherst school system in 2002 as a special education administrator. She previously worked for the Frontier and Gill-Montague regional districts and in Westfield as a school psychologist, special education teacher and school adjustment counselor.
She lives in Amherst and is married to Kurt Geryk, co-owner of Hampshire Bicycle Exchange. They have two children who attend Crocker Farm School.
In an email message to the School Committee, teacher Norman Price wrote: "In her short tenure, Maria Geryk has demonstrated the extremely rare and valuable talent of building trust and support among the staff. This trust has given her the power to motivate teachers and build institutional momentum for her vision."
The School Committee is now negotiating the terms of Geryk's contract. As interim superintendent, she has been paid at the rate of $139,000 a year.
Comments
I applaud her
Clearly, she is putting the best interest of the schools first, and her ego is staying out of it. Rather than seeing this as an insult, she continues to stay focused on working to better the school system.
She is under-appreciated - she stepped up to fill in when Rodriguez abandoned the town, and has worked diligently to keep things running smoothly.
Kudos to Irv for coming up with a way to keep her, if only for a year. The town has an exceptional person here, but they can't see it because they are blinded by an impressive resume. Words, words, words. This lady isn't busy promoting herself, she is busy doing the work that needs to be done.
These people are too much
Here's what the SC is saying: Maria, you aren't our first choice, and you may not even be our second choice, but you're here already and we'll look foolish if we scrap the search and start over again. So we'll do the same thing by another name and offer you a one year contract. If you want this job, you had better get used to this short leash.
From an organizational standpoint this is a travesty.
Amherst Schools
At least give her 2 years. Give her a legit chance to show impact. Plus
You don't want to start yet another search in 12 months.