SAU 6 Superintendent Search Draws Community Criticism Over Lack of Transparency

William Madden, chairman of SAU 6's ad-hoc Executive Director Search Committee, told the board on March 18 that the district's single remaining superintendent candidate will not be named publicly, and that the full board will conduct its finalist interview in a nonpublic session, shutting Claremont parents out of the most consequential hiring decision the district has faced in years.

That announcement drew sharp community criticism. Of the eight resumes the committee reviewed, three candidates reached finalist status after video interviews. Two subsequently withdrew. Madden confirmed one finalist remains and that the person currently holds a superintendent position, but declined to disclose where or who. No interview date has been set.

Madden served on the search committee with board Vice Chairman Mike Petrin and former board member Frank Sprague, who lost his seat in the March 10 election. When residents challenged the absence of public and staff vetting at the meeting, the board did not respond and instead moved into nonpublic session to discuss the candidate.

SAU 6 defended its approach in a public web post: "While the process to hire an Executive Director is different from hiring a Superintendent, we have still conducted a structured search that is thorough and transparent." Madden offered a partial concession: if an offer is extended, he expects the finalist will be available to meet with the public before the full board casts a final vote. That conditional promise did little to satisfy critics who said the community had no meaningful role at any stage before an offer was already on the table.

The pressure on the board to get this right is considerable. The incoming executive director will manage a district of approximately 1,500 students, oversee budgets still in recovery from an approximately $5 million deficit, and direct staffing and vendor relationships that have been in disarray for more than a year. To cover overdue invoices for food service, health insurance, and retirement costs, the board took a $4 million short-term loan from Claremont Savings Bank. Twenty employees were laid off; 19 planned new teacher hires were scrapped.

SAU 6 has not retained a superintendent for long in recent memory. Three top administrators since 2011 were either fired or resigned. Former Superintendent Chris Pratt stepped down in September 2025 amid the deficit crisis. The board subsequently relaxed its licensing requirements for the open role, listing superintendent certification as a preference rather than a requirement and retitling the position "superintendent/executive director." As of July 1, Unity will form its own SAU, leaving Claremont as the sole district under the new leader's authority.

Under New Hampshire's Right-to-Know law, RSA 91-A, school boards may conduct certain personnel interviews in nonpublic session, but must return to open session before taking any formal vote. The board has not announced whether it will accept public comment in that open session before casting its decision.

What the community knows going into that vote: one anonymous candidate, no scheduled interview date, and a board that went silent when asked to justify its process.