WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The last time the Mount Greylock Regional School District looked for a permanent superintendent, the search process lasted 20 days.

 

This time, the School Committee wants to take two years.

 

On Thursday, the committee decided on a vote of 6-0 to formally begin a search for a new superintendent in the fall of 2025 with hopes of having a top executive for the district in place by the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

 

The committee formalized a course of action that first was developed in a July 11 in-person meeting with officials from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

 

On Thursday, the committee reviewed some of the issues raised at the July meeting.

 

"We peppered them with questions about the length of searches, the ideal timing for searches and what might be the best process for our district and the unique challenges of our district," Carolyn Greene said. "A two-year process might set us up to really represent ourselves as a strong district. It allows us a little more time to have listening tours and a little more community input on what a search process would look like and what the ideal candidate would look like."

 

Greene added that members of the School Committee already were committed this year to work on a couple of ad hoc subcommittees: one addressing curriculum development and another focused on an audit of the district's efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.