Latest Communications

 

Dear MSD Community:

 

We want to provide a brief update on the Superintendent search process.

 

We had the opportunity to host both MSD Superintendent finalists on the Columbia and Frederick campuses last week. They received a warm welcome from the school community. Many thanks to all involved in participating, planning, and hosting these events.

 

Thanks to those who attended the community forums and for providing your thoughts on the feedback survey. We received a large number of comments from the surveys; the feedback was very helpful in informing the Board of Trustees decision in the selection of MSD's next Superintendent.

 

Last Friday, the Board of Trustees met and agreed on the next steps for selecting the new Superintendent. The administrative arrangements will take place during the holiday season and break. We appreciate your patience as the board works through this process.

 

The board will convene on Monday, January 9th to conduct a ratification vote for the selection of MSD's new Superintendent. This meeting and public announcement will be held at the Columbia campus. More information on this event will be shared in an email from the school. We are close to hiring a new superintendent for MSD.

 

Again, we thank the MSD community for your involvement throughout this search. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year.

 

Thank you.

 

Akilah English and Krista Leitch Walker
Superintendent Search Co-Chairs

 

Dear MSD Community:

We acknowledge and appreciate the heartfelt concerns from the community regarding the plans to hold the community forums solely on the Frederick campus.

This decision was in no way intended to dismiss or disregard the importance of the Columbia Campus and its community. We very much regret that people are feeling this way. That is something we never want to see occur.

A lot of thought and deliberation went into planning and scheduling all search activities and events. This search was conducted in a very compressed schedule to be ahead of other school searches, which posed some challenges. For example, the community forums and interviews must be completed within one week to meet the winter break deadline.

The compressed schedule is one factor in limiting our ability to host multiple activities. However, the most significant factor in limiting the forums to one campus location is the cost of Audio/Visual (AV) technical support services to provide a quality live-streamed event.

It is critical to live-stream the forums as we want to make the event accessible to all our stakeholders, regardless of their location, schedule, and personal commitment. By live-streaming the event, we are opening up the forum so that more members of the school and larger communities could attend and learn about each candidate in person or via live-stream.

Unfortunately, MSD does not have the ability or capacity to handle the AV/technical demands of the forums internally, so we had to contract with a professional firm to provide technical support to live-stream the event. The cost of these services is significant. If forums were held on each campus, AV technical support would be required for each location, and the cost would be doubled.

The candidates will get their first impression of MSD at the Columbia campus. Planning this was intentional as we are confident that the Columbia campus community will provide a wonderful first impression and a warm welcome, and the candidates will see for themselves the importance of the campus. Each finalist will spend the first half of the school day at the Columbia campus before visiting the Frederick campus.

We will be sure to share with the finalists that MSD had preferred to host forums on each campus. Hence, they shall understand that both campuses are equally important.

At this stage in the process, we cannot make any changes. We hope people will trust and believe that we tried our best under the circumstances and ask for their understanding and grace. We sincerely hope the community will join us at the community forums — either in person or virtually — and meet-and-greets and join us as we look forward to the appointment of a new superintendent to lead MSD.

Thank you,

Corey Burton
President, MSD Board of the Trustees

Akilah English and Krista Leitch Walker
Superintendent Search Co-Chairs

 

 

Next week, MSD will welcome Mr. John A. Serrano and Ms. Taiyabah Naeem, the final candidates for the position of superintendent. Over a three-day period of December 13, 14, and 15, their visits will include campus tours, meetings with students, staff, and administrators, and an interview with the MSD Board of Trustees.

The school community and the larger community are invited to meet and learn about each candidate during a community forum held on the evenings of December 13 and 14. Each will present their vision of transforming MSD through its strengths. This is also an opportunity for the community to ask questions of each candidate and provide feedback on them to the Board of Trustees through the completion of a survey.

While MSD had hoped to offer community events at both campuses, we regret that we cannot offer an in-person event at the Columbia campus due to technology and scheduling constraints. Therefore, the forums will be held at the Frederick campus only. Seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the forum will also be available to view via Zoom webinar. Registration is required to attend either the in-person event or the live-stream. 

The community forum will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Ely Auditorium on the Frederick campus. Mr. John A. Serrano will present on Tuesday, December 13, and Ms. Taiyabah Naeem will present on Wednesday, December 14. Please note that the doors open at 6:00 p.m. and close at 6:25 p.m. The forum will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.

A Meet & Greet event with the finalist will be held in the Bjorlee Museum following the community forum from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please note the event will end promptly at 8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. 

ASL and Spanish interpreters will be provided at both the community forums and meet-and-greets.

Please complete a registration form for each adult attending or viewing the forum. If you are attending the in-person event as a family, please have one member of your party indicate how many children will also be attending.