By Bethany Bray
Superintendent Claudia Bach could leave Andover before the end of the school year if she finds another job that interests her. The School Committee has given her that ability.
"As part of accepting her resignation, we agreed to release her 120-day notice requirement," said School Committee Chairwoman Debra Silberstein. "I hope we would have the benefit of her expertise through June 30, but we did agree to release her from that requirement."
After 11 years in Andover, Bach says she feels it's simply her time to go.
"I'm eager for some new challenges, and planning for my succession has been a goal of mine," said Bach. "I feel like I've served the district very well. I've given a lot of my heart, soul and energy. I'm leaving the district in good shape. It's healthy, flourishing and strong, with good leaders in place."
Bach, 66, announced last Tuesday she will step down at the end of this school year. She began as Andover's superintendent in 1998.
Right now, she has no job offers and anticipates staying through the end of her contract, June 30. But that is not definite, she said.
The School Committee had "preliminary discussions" about the superintendent's contract in executive sessions on Sept. 21 and 29; Bach joined the closed-door discussions on Oct. 5 and 20, said Silberstein.
"It was very preliminary, we met with her two times. As a result of those discussions, this is where we landed," Silberstein said.
No vote was ever taken on whether to extend Bach's contract through next year, Silberstein said. Bach suggested stepping down on Sept. 20 and the committee voted to accept her resignation in executive session on Oct. 27.
Bach, Silberstein and member Dennis Forgue all said the decision was Bach's, and was not the result of any School Committee suggestion.
"For whatever reason, she decided it was time for her to leave this job. It was her call," said Forgue.
On Sept. 23, 2008, a 3-2 vote was taken to extend Bach's contract for another year in a School Committee executive session. The actual contract was signed Jan. 6, 2009 and the news was announced that January night.
The two votes against the contract extension were cast by Forgue and then-member Tony James. Two new members of the School Committee were voted in this past March. This week, Bach said last year's split vote did not affect her decision to step down.
"I wanted to give the School Committee plenty of time (to look for a new superintendent). In all fairness to the community, I knew it had to happen in the fall," she said of making the decision this month.
The School Committee will discuss the superintendent search process at its Nov. 10 meeting.
"We're off and running," said Forgue of replacing Bach. "We were fortunate to have her leadership for as long as we did. We have a strong school system."
Silberstein says Bach will receive no severance or retirement package upon leaving; all her salary and benefits are prorated in her contract. For the calendar year 2008, Bach made a total of $185,341: $159,604 in regular pay plus a benefit package and $5,000 travel allowance.
For about five years, Bach said she and the School Committee have been working on a plan to replace a series of principals who reached retirement age at the same time. She was the last piece of that puzzle, said Bach.
"A good superintendent plans for his or her succession from the moment they start work," said Bach. "There are some real challenges that make it hard for me to leave, including budget issues and building a new school (Bancroft Elementary)."
LOOKING BACK
In her 11-year tenure, Bach says she is most proud of fostering what she describes as a collaborative and strong leadership team, built on trust.
"When I first came, the principals were silos in their buildings, not really working as a group," she said.
Bach's model gives principals a great deal of authority in their own budget and staffing, she said, but also encourages them to work together, solving problems and meeting in groups.
"It's a really unique model. It's one of the reasons that some of our principals have come here," said Bach. "I very rarely second-guess a principal's hiring decision ... We know a teacher is the single most important item for student achievement. For me, my most important hire is principals, and their most important hire is teachers."
With a lifetime career in education, Bach said she feels she has expertise to offer, and is looking for the right challenge to tackle after leaving Andover.
This week, Bach said she could see herself working on state or federal-level education initiatives to improve student achievement or to attract teachers to the science, technology, engineering and math areas.
"I'm interested in challenges that are going on in school districts, and I feel I may have something to offer, in some capacity, somewhere," she said. "I think that there's interesting work going on out there."
Milestones of Bach's tenure have included the creation of an engineering program in Andover's three middle schools and participating in an exchange program with Chinese educators, where she journeyed to China, touring schools in the spring of 2008 and hosting a group of Chinese principals in Andover, engaging them in school activities.
Debate about school overcrowding resulting in Andover building High Plain Elementary and Wood Hill Middle schools on the west side of town. The schools, which share space such as a cafeteria, opened in 2002. Bach estimates she went to more than 100 public meetings as she oversaw the building process.
In 11 years, Bach said she's seen the system evolve from principals not knowing how to send an e-mail to using it as a primary source of communication. School libraries have reflected this change as well, becoming "media centers" equipped with Internet access and other technology.
Curriculum has changed to incorporate "21st century skills," she said, preparing students for a global workplace.
"Twelve years ago, no one was thinking that way," said Bach.
