Share This Article
The Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee has officially selected the Collins Center of UMass Boston to guide the district’s search for a new superintendent.
The committee approved the selection and authorized the district to enter into an agreement with the Collins Center during its regular meeting on September 14. The motion passed with a 3-0-2 vote. Committee members Karyn Jones and Betsy Sues abstained from the vote, citing objections regarding the process and what they felt was a lack of involvement of the full committee at key junctures.
The vote was, nonetheless, a significant step in the search to replace former Superintendent Brad Crozier. According to a memo from Acting Director of Business and Human Resources Buck Creel, which was included in the packet, the district received proposals from four firms:
- The Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC)
- The New England School Development Council (NESDEC)
- Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, Ltd. (HYA)
- The Collins Center of UMass Boston
An evaluation team consisting of School Committee members Jessica McCready and Ellen Lederer-DeFrancesco, along with two district administrators, scored the proposals based on technical and price criteria. The evaluators ultimately narrowed the field down to two finalists before recommending the Collins Center, noting that the firm provided distinct advantages for the committee’s search efforts.
The School Committee awarded the agreement to the Collins Center for a fixed-price fee of $24,000.
The superintendent search is operating on an aggressive timeline, with the district aiming to finalize an appointment by January 15, 2027, ahead of a planned July 2027 start date.
The materials pertaining to the RFP and selection process start on page 94 below.