The School Committee met via Zoom on Wednesday and announced the three finalists for the superintendent’s position.

They are Evan Bishop, principal at Hopkinton High School; Mark McLaughlin, superintendent in South Hadley; and Ross Mulkerin, director of finance and operations for the Nashoba Regional School District.

Information about all three candidates is expected to be posted Thursday on the district’s website.

According to LinkedIn:

Bishop has worked in the Hopkinton School District since 2005, becoming principal at the high school in 2013. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal and school counselor.

McLaughlin was named acting superintendent in South Hadley in 2021 and then interim superintendent in January 2023 following the formal resignation of the previous superintendent, according to a story in The Reminder. In February of 2024, McLaughlin was promoted to the job in a full-time capacity under a one-year deal. According to a story in The Gardner News, McLaughlin was one of three finalists for the superintendent job in Winchendon this past December. Prior to South Hadley, McLaughlin was the superintendent for the Merrimack School District in New Hampshire for two years and assistant superintendent there for 10 years.

Before taking the finance role in Nashoba in July 2022, Mulkerin was an elementary school principal in Stow for seven years and in Waltham for two years. He was assistant director of student services for the Binghamton City School District in New York for three years.

School Committee member Kyla McSweeney, who served on the screening committee, said the group received many resumes from “well qualified” candidates and interviewed 11 people before narrowing the field to three.

McSweeney said that the committee felt strongly that visits to the candidates’ home districts be made prior to the School Committee interviews.

Carolyn Burke from consultant New England School Development Council (NESDEC) advised the board to treat all three candidates equally, even though Bishop is known to the community and district.

“The community knows the internal candidate in one role and has not perceived him in a larger role,” Burke said. “This is the opportunity for him to change that perception.”

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing next steps, which include scheduling visits to the candidates’ districts, planning for and conducting visits in Hopkinton, calling a list of references, and conducting 90-minute interviews, with each School Committee member asking two questions.

Burke said the public and staff would have the opportunity to provide input online or as the finalists are escorted around Hopkinton during visits. Meet and greets with parents and teachers as well as lunch with administrators are usual practices during the visits in the host community, Burke said.

She urged the committee not to “drag the process out” too long before making a decision.

Burke said the board should ask HCAM to hold the interview videos until all the candidates have participated. She also told the committee members they should include questions in several categories deemed important by the community such as fiscal management, special education, leadership, conflict resolution, community engagement, district culture and more.

Saying it would be a difficult decision to make, Burke urged the committee to focus on finding a “match” for what Hopkinton needs.

Burke said once a majority of the board selects a candidate, one individual from that majority should ask for unanimous support of the new superintendent.

“It is harder for a superintendent to come in with a divided board,” Burke said. “Deliberate enough so it can be unanimous.”

Next week, site visits to other districts will take place followed by hosting individuals in Hopkinton. Interviews would be held on March 27 and April 3, with a decision expected at a special meeting on April 9.

All dates are subject to change pending scheduling.

Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh is retiring on June 30.