Barnstable will Decide on Supt. Ahern Next Week

Joining the Franklin Public Schools as Superintendent on July 1, 2017, Dr. Sara Ahern ended up facing a challenge no superintendent has faced in decades, a pandemic. But she had one bit of assurance on her side to help her weather such storms – a six-year contract – noted former School Committee member Jen D’Angelo.

Then, late in December, Franklin Matters revealed a surprise, that Ahern was a candidate for the superintendent’s post in Barnstable, on Cape Cod. 

While Ahern's prior tenures have been mostly in the Metrowest area, it turns out the Barnstable and Franklin systems are not that different from the suburbs along I-495. In fact, the two systems are very similar in scale.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the Franklin Public Schools have 5,068 total students and 395 (FTE) Classroom Teachers and a Student/Teacher Ratio of 12.85 and 970 students with IEPs.

The Barnstable district (also according to NCES) has 5,041 students, 393 (FTE) Classroom Teachers, a Student/Teacher Ratio: 12.84 and 878 students with IEPs.

One possible difference is the level of compensation received by superintendents. Ahern’s current salary (from the Franklin 2020 Annual Report) is just over $199,000. The current Barnstable superintendent, Meg Mayo-Brown, who announced her intention to leave several months ago, effective at the end of the school year, has a salary reported to be just under $235,000.

The willingness to “jump ship” doesn’t sit well with D’Angelo. “Prior to my election in 2019 [the School Committee] signed Ahern to a 6-year contract - the most legally allowed by state law,” she explained. “When I was elected and inquired about this move, which happened two weeks prior to the election in which only two members were running for reelection, I was told by the two incumbents it was to ensure consistency and commitment in leadership. Based on the news... I am disappointed that the commitment was only one-sided, as it is now obvious Sara is actively seeking other opportunities in only the third year of her contract,” D’Angelo added.

Current School Committee Vice Chair, Elise Stokes, takes a more upbeat view of the situation. “I’ve very much enjoyed working with Dr. Ahern but I completely support the fact that she needs to make her life decisions based on what’s best for her family,” Stokes said.

“Franklin has been fortunate to have a dedicated Superintendent who understands effective education, policy, operations, and long-range planning,” Stokes continued. “The pandemic piled unprecedented responsibilities onto the plates of school superintendents, and Dr. Ahern’s leadership guided the Franklin Public School community through these most challenging times in public education,” she added.

“It has been an honor working with Dr. Ahern these past two years, and I appreciate this decision is difficult for her" said Denise Spencer, School Committee Chair. “Our district has been very lucky to have such a dedicated individual who has led our school district with courage and compassion through one of the most challenging times in our history,” she added.

For her part, Ahern said she cherishes her relationships in Franklin “with students, their families, faculty and staff, and especially the leadership team and School Committee.”

“An administrator once said to me, ‘Franklin is a really special place’ -- I agree and this makes the prospect of leaving the district a very difficult one,” she said. She stressed that her interest in Barnstable is a personal one and there are still more steps in the process. “Above all, I'd emphasize that I remain committed to the students of FPS,” Ahern added.

Looking to the future, D’Angelo said the flip side of her disappointment with the superintendent is a sense of hopefulness that Franklin “may have an opportunity to hire a responsive leader who can best represent the needs of our schools and community as a whole.” Over the course of the past few years, she noted, enrollment has dropped, administrative positions have increased, student needs have increased “and our decisions are based mainly on qualitative data generated from surveys and questionnaires.”

“With no real defined action plan as to how we are going to help students and support families, we continue to talk about things like social emotional learning with no tangibles,” she said. School culture has been another issue ignored, according to D’Angelo, “and teachers were burnt out, even before the pandemic.”

“I am optimistic that everything happens for a reason and if Sara is offered this new position, Franklin will have an opportunity to search for a new leader that embodies strong skills and a clear vision for moving Franklin Public Schools forward,” she added.