By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

With the resignation of Armand LaSelva effective at the end of this school year, school officials from Hooksett, Auburn and Candia are forced - for the fourth time in the last 10 years - to find a superintendent to lead SAU 15.

In November, LaSelva submitted a letter announcing he wished not to renew his contract. It read, "Recent events have changed things considerably for me, and the time has come for me to move on."

LaSelva replaced longtime district employee Robert Suprenant as the SAU's top administrator in the summer of 2004, four years after Suprenant replaced Lyonel Tracy. Tracy took over for an interim superintendent in 1997, after the 1996 resignation of Paul Filion.

SAU 15 serves Hooksett, Auburn and Candia. The superintendent is the chief executive officer of SAU.

"We'd like to keep one (superintendent) for a few years," said Hooksett School Board member Ron Dion. "This is not really something we look forward to doing over and over again."

SAU 15 Board Chairman and Candia School Board member Bill Zarges said he's worried about the potential impact of the recent turnover on each new search.

"It's a concern for us," he said. "What's that going to do in terms of us trying to get someone who's capable."

Elaine Hobbs, chairman of the Auburn School Board, said, "Change is never easy. There are always adjustments that have to be made."

The superintendent post isn't the only one in the SAU 15 office that has had some recent turnover.

In July 2005, Gail Kushner replaced Eric Wigode, who had been on personal leave for several months, as assistant superintendent. Also in July, Karen Lessard replaced Sally Waterhouse as the SAU's business manager.

LaSelva's departure seems not for lack of support from the SAU 15 board. At a November meeting, 13 of the 15 board members gave LaSelva a vote of confidence, while the other two abstained.

Both the Candia and Auburn boards were in unanimous support of LaSelva.

"I know Candia is very sorry to see him go," said Zarges.

Like Zarges, Dion had only praise for LaSelva's work over the last 18 months.

"He's one of the finest superintendents we've had," he said. "I wish he'd stay."

LaSelva couldn't be reached by press time.

While school officials have declined to guess the specific reasons for LaSelva's departure, some have suggested that the SAU 15 superintendent post offers some distinct challenges.

LaSelva, who has 25 years of experience as a superintendent, joined SAU 15 from the Dover School District. Whereas the Dover superintendent position only reports to one school board, the SAU 15 position deals with four - one for each town and a separate SAU board.

The SAU 15 superintendent must oversee four annual budgets and attend an average of six separate school board meetings per month.

"I think it takes its toll on people just because of the sheer size of the responsibility," Dion said.

The SAU 15 superintendent must also work to appease people throughout three separate communities. Responsibilities include overseeing the annual preparation of school budgets, recommending all basic textbooks, courses of study and curriculum guides to the school board and overseeing the hiring, assigning and transfer of all certified and noncertified personnel.

"Nobody pleases everybody," said Zarges. "If there are personal attacks in public, no one will put up with that very long."

In spite of LaSelva's planned departure, school officials from throughout the three communities are mustering enthusiasm for a new superintendent search. The Auburn School Board hosted a community forum Monday, Jan. 9, to get input from residents on what qualities they'd like to see in a superintendent.

Zarges said the Candia School Board was planning to discuss the superintendent search at a Thursday, Jan. 12, meeting.

"Getting community input is definitely something we're interested in doing," he said.

Each of the SAU 15 school boards will have two representatives of a superintendent search committee to review applications submitted before a Feb. 17 deadline, said Hobbs.

Hobbs said those six people would then make a recommendation to the SAU 15 board for final interviews, with the hopes of choosing a new superintendent by April 14.

LaSelva plans to fulfill his contract until it expires at the end of July, at which point the new superintendent will take over.