Committee conducting background checks for superintendent job

The School Committee announced last night it is conducting reference checks on finalists for the soon-to-be-vacant superintendent position.
School Committee Vice Chairwoman Susanne McIvor said last night all three candidates are ``still very interested'' in the position and expects the checks to last at least another week.
The final three candidates are Peter Azar, a former co-chairman of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and now superintendent in Winchendon; Kriner Cash, a former superintendent on Martha's Vineyard and current chief of accountability and system-wide performance for Miami-Dade Public Schools in Florida; and Lynne Sarasin, a deputy superintendent in the Lexington public schools.
Committee members are also conducting site interviews, which involves visiting other districts to further research the final three.
McIvor was also a member of a superintendent search committee that screened several candidates over the last few months. She said 27 people initially applied for the position and the search committee interviewed 12. The School Committee then thinned out the candidate pool to the top three over two public meetings last week.
Having headed the district since 1998, Susan Parrella announced she would leave her position this August, withdrawing a request for a one-year extension in January.
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com