The residency requirement for superintendent of schools in the Augusta city charter limits the number of applicants for the position, and hinders the Board of Education’s ability to find a top-notch candidate for what might be the city’s most important position. Residents should vote yes on the charter amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot, to remove the requirement and allow the board to choose the best person for the job, regardless of where they live.

Augusta is one of only a handful of Maine school departments with such a residency requirement, which supporters say connects the superintendent more fully with the community and makes them personally feel the brunt of any tax increases.

But the idea that a superintendent would be less likely to control costs, or less invested in the success of the school system, because he or she does not live in the same city is ludicrous. Long hours are required of a superintendent, who spends countless hours visiting schools and talking with teachers, students, staff and other administrators. If the school board does its job and hires the right person, that superintendent will be committed to the school department because of those relationships and a sense of professional duty, not because of where he or she happens to live.

Moreover, because the average tenure of a superintendent is only a few years, it is unreasonable to ask superintendents to move their families for what is often a relatively short-term job.

That is particularly true in cases where the superintendent already lives nearby. In Biddeford, which also has a residency requirement that was upheld recently by voters, Superintendent Jeremy Ray was forced to buy a condo in the city, even though he and his family have a home in Saco, just a mile from his office.

In Augusta, interim Superintendent James Anastasio was chosen in large part because of his experience as principal at Cony High School. But because he lives in Gardiner, hiring him permanently would run afoul of the charter if it is not changed at the ballot on Election Day.

Anastasio has said he will move to Augusta if the charter change is unsuccessful. But that is clearly a hardship on the superintendent and his family, and the six-mile move would make no difference in how he does his job.

What it would do is make future superintendent candidates think twice about applying for the top job in Augusta schools. In fact, before Anastasio was hired, the applicant pool was, according to school board members, noticeably thin. That’s an issue throughout Maine, where there are often dozens of openings each year, but a shortage of qualified applicants.

That’s not good news for residents who want to see the best candidates for a job that oversees a multimillion-dollar budget, hundreds of employees and the city’s best assets — its schools.

Voters should approve the charter change on Nov. 4, and give the school board what it needs to hire a top superintendent, for now and in the future.

Copy the Story Link