The union representing Cambridge Public Schools faculty and staff called for the district to restart its search for a new superintendent, accusing School Committee members of advancing a process without transparency or public trust.
In a blistering statement on Thursday, the Cambridge Education Association alleged that the district and its search firm, The Equity Process, had conducted an “opaque, undemocratic, and costly” process that has left educators and the public “in the dark.”
The CEA zeroed in on concerns about one candidate who was considered as a semifinalist but says he is no longer in the running: Adam Taylor, who left his position as superintendent for Rutland City Public Schools in Vermont after backlash to controversial remarks he delivered in a 2019 lecture.
Speaking to students and faculty at Castleton University, Taylor compared the process of building trust with students as a teacher to building relationships as a pimp, a pedophile, or a Catholic priest. He described the remarks as a “foul analogy” in the speech — and soon found himself facing fierce criticism from parents and teachers.
Months later, Taylor went on indefinite leave and eventually left the district.
“If CPS and The Equity Process were not aware of the candidate’s comments, then this is nothing short of gross negligence and incompetence. If CPS and The Equity Process were aware, then this is a callous and calculated decision to present a false choice to the Cambridge community,” the CEA statement reads.
“Our community deserves school leaders who lift students and educators up, not tear them down with crude, harmful analogies,” the statement said. “ This process has lost all credibility and must stop now.”
CPS does not plan to publicly release the names of semifinalists, but rumors that Taylor was under consideration had circulated widely among city officials for more than a week. In an interview on Wednesday, Taylor confirmed that he took part in the semifinal interviews for CPS superintendent, but was notified on Tuesday that he is not one of the finalists.
He said that his 2019 comments were intended to emphasize the importance of student-teacher relationships but that he had made an “error in judgment.”
“My intent was not to harm anybody,” he said, adding that he voluntarily apologized in public board meetings, letters to the public, emails to staff, and on social media.
“I wasn’t asked to apologize. I wasn’t directed to apologize,” he said. “I did it because I found somebody was harmed.”
CPS has held seven forums for Cambridge residents, students, and families to discuss their priorities in the search. But the process has drawn criticisms from some constituents who believe it has been led without regard for meaningful public input.
CEA president Chris Montero said at a Tuesday School Committee meeting that the forums were “performative,” and other residents argued that the committee should have used an open process to name members of a panel that interviewed semifinalists on July 15 and 16.
The CEA’s statement comes two days after a School Committee meeting during which Mayor E. Denise Simmons announced that four finalists have been selected. Their identities will not be publicly released until Aug. 11.
Simmons also outlined next stages in the process, including forums with stakeholder groups and finalist interviews scheduled for Sep. 30 and Oct. 1.
At the meeting, School Committee member Elizabeth C.P. Hudson raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the finalist selection process and pressed Simmons to explain how the finalists were chosen. Simmons responded that she would need to consult with the district’s search firm, The Equity Process, before providing an answer.
The CEA’s statement praised Hudson but asserted that no other members of the School Committee “said or did anything to answer the community’s legitimate concerns and completely failed to answer the question of how the finalists were chosen.”
The union added that “it is clear we need to elect new School Committee members” in the Nov. 4 election.
In a message to The Crimson responding to the CEA statement, Hudson wrote that she will not defend the process by which the finalists were chosen, and that while she is “horrified by the analogy used by one of our applicants,” she “will not call for the search to be halted.”
She warned that parents, staff, and most School Committee members do not know the final list of candidates and said she would be “cautious in calls for drastic action, lest we be incorrect.”
The CEA argued that the search process warranted not just a procedural reset but an overhaul of the School Committee, writing that “it is clear we need to elect new School Committee members” in the Nov. 4 election.
“Cambridge caregivers, scholars, and staff deserve leaders they can trust and respect,” the union’s statement read.
—Staff writer Ayaan Ahmad can be reached at ayaan.ahmad@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @AyaanAhmad2024.