ANDOVER – The Andover Public Schools is pleased to announce two outstanding candidates as finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools.
The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:
- Dr. Magda Parvey, Chief Academic Officer of Middletown Public Schools in Middletown, Conn. Dr. Parvey has served as Interim Superintendent of City School District of New Rochelle, N.Y.; as Chief Academic Officer in New Rochelle; and as Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in Chapel Hill, N.C. She has served in additional leadership positions as a principal, assistant principal and teacher in a career spanning more than 25 years. More information on Dr. Parvey’s background and accomplishments can be found in a longer biography and full resume.
- Dr. Stephen Zadravec, Superintendent of the Portsmouth School Department in Portsmouth, N.H. Dr. Zadravec has served as Assistant Superintendent in School Administrative Unit 39 in Amherst, N.H.; and as a middle school math teacher and curriculum coordinator at Amherst Middle School in Amherst, N.H. Dr. Zadravec has served in additional leadership positions as an interim principal in a career spanning more than 30 years. More information on Dr. Zadravec’s background and accomplishments can be found in a longer biography and full resume.
A Preliminary Screening Committee representing 11 stakeholder groups met during the past few weeks to review applications and interview candidates. The work was aided by the executive search firm Ray and Associates Inc., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which was hired by the district to spearhead a national recruiting effort.
The Preliminary Screening Committee was presented with 10 highly qualified candidates to study intensively. The Preliminary Screening Committee kept the guiding principles developed from community-wide surveys and focus group meetings at the core of their work: To put forward superintendent candidates who are strongly committed to a “student-first” philosophy, community involvement and a forward-thinking lens in decisions. There is expectation that Andover’s next superintendent will model high standards of performance to guide a vision of excellence in education.
The Preliminary Screening Committee conducted full interviews with five candidates, choosing to put forward Dr. Parvey and Dr. Zadravec as finalists.
In the coming weeks, the finalist candidates will answer questions and share their individual strengths in a televised forum, visit Andover to meet members of the school and town community, and be interviewed publicly by the Andover School Committee. Feedback will be solicited from the community before a final vote by the School Committee.
The specific schedule for these events is under development. More information will be published on the district’s superintendent search webpage.