Dr. Malkas signs contract, addresses school committee

By Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - The Webster School Committee met last Tuesday evening and announced that in an executive session the contract for the new Superintendent of Schools Barbara Malkas had been approved.

School committee chairman Michael Makara addressed the committee moments before Dr. Malkas signed her contract. “It was our hope all along that we would attract qualified people to come to Webster. Barbara Malkas definitely impressed everyone and we felt that she was a perfect fit. We are very excited to have Barbara join us.”

Dr. Malkas, who will replace Gregory M. Ciardi, addressed the committee following the signing. “I feel like I am coming to a place that I can call home.”

“There is a lot that is coming at school districts throughout the Commonwealth,” she said. “There will be a new evaluation system and the requirements for training both the evaluators and the evaluated. There will be further alignments of the common core, changes in our assessment system under the No Child Left Behind waiver.”

She went on to say, “It’s an exciting time to be in education, but it can also be very stressful and overwhelming.  There is a need for opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and a sense of community. This work is not done in isolation, and although you appoint me as the superintendent, I would not be an effective school leader if I didn’t have the great human capacity that is available to me in this district, so I willingly and without hesitation or reservation accept this appointment. Thank you.”

Dr. Malkas was previously the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Pittsfield Public Schools. She will take the position over full time in June.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent oOf Schools Ted Avlas updated the school committee on the final budget for the Park Avenue Building Project.  Avlas said he met with the MSBA and had an “excellent meeting” with them.

The next step in the Park Avenue Building Project is a town vote on June 11.

The committee also briefly discussed a vacancy in the school committee left by the departure of Ted Geotis.  There will be a posting for this position immediately and applicants are encouraged to apply.

The committee also approved a request by Bartlett High School French teacher Rachel Morandi for a school trip to France and Spain next April 11-20.

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