Please School Committee.. pass on these two gentlemen. Neither are even close to a fit for Attleboro.

After watching Azar at the open meeting. He is a nice guy but I do not feel that he has the personality that is necessary to lead the Attleboro schools. I feel that he is the polar opposite to the current administration, and we can not have such a drastic change without serious repercussions.

Sheehan, personality wise, appears to be what you would think of as an administrator. At first blush looks like he would be a refreshing change but still strong and full of leadership. My issue with him is that he readily admits he is in Attleboro to add 3 years to pad his Mass pension and retire. I have reservations that he will be fully vested in our community.

I am stunned that we only had 2 qualified candidates come out of the pool of applicants. I say back to the drawing board. Neither of these two gentleman will keep Attleboro on the correct path. An interim is not the worst thing that can happen. Be strong School committee. Just because we need a new superintendent does not mean you have to "settle" for the first candidates that come down the pike.

Well said, George. I couldn't agree more.

"I feel that he is the polar opposite to the current administration, and we can not have such a drastic change without serious repercussions" I'm not sure how you can come to the conclusion of " serious repercussions" because he is a polar opposite. Maybe that's what we need. I get a sense from some of these postings that there is more behind these statements. I do not feel that if the SC were to choose either candidate that we would be "settling". These candidates were not just pulled off the street.

As a member of the search committee I can tell you without a doubt these 2 candidates rose to the top and surpassed everyone else. Attleboro would be extremely fortunate to have either of these men lead the Attleboro Schools. The 9 search committee members unanimously agreed on sending these 2 candidates forward and confidently feel either would be an excellent leader!

To the two none real people on here. STOP IT! It is so transparent.

Laura,: "the change we need"? Have you ever hear of "Decompression sickness"? or commonly called "the bends"? You cant come up to the surface from the bottom of the ocean without getting seriously sick. You can apply the same to a drastic change in leadership within a school system. Dr. Dirkin is no prize, so that is why we need to consider carefully our new leadership that will continue the vision of the schools, but in a better fashion.

I recall from your unsuccessful bid for school committee your positions on matters such as this and we fundamentally disagree. You asked me to explain, and I have.

re: Linda: the comment that these gentlemen were the best the ad-hock committee saddens me. They were the best? Disappointing.

We did consider carefully. Very carefully. Why are you coming in on the 11th "George"? Nice dig on the "unsuccessful bid" comment. Doesn't bother me in the least if you want to get personal. I have no problem agreeing to disagree. Please note that I sign my real name because I stand behind my words and I also stand by the candidates we have chosen 100%.

Regardless if there is a "drastic change"(which I personally think is needed) or someone similar, there is going to be some tough times during the transition. Adjustments will need to be made and everyone will have to figure out how to work together again. Both candidates seem like they could be great choices. I see this being a difficult decision tonight! Best of luck to both candidates!

George, may I just make a reply to your comment. I have actually had the pleasure of having Mr. Sheehan first as a teacher in junior high, and then as a assistant principal in high school during my school years in Warwick. I was pleasantly surprised to hear he was one of the candidates for superintendent. I am giving my opinion as a former student of his but I have to say I can agree with Laura and Linda that Attleboro would be extremely fortunate to have him. He has worked his way up and has experience in multiple school positions and most importantly experience as a superintendent of schools. As a student I had always found him approachable and knowledgeable. A big factor here is the students and I believe he would make an easy transition into Attleboro. I have no personal knowledge of Mr. Azar but I am sure he has also shown qualifications to be chosen by the search committee. I wish them both well in their interest of Attleboro.