With Mary Ann DeMello at the helm of the Hopkinton School District for the month of July, School Committee members have begun interviewing candidates to fill the void left by Jonathan Landman for the 2012-2013 school year.

Last night they interviewed two of the three candidates; Steven Hiersche and Dennis Duquette .

Both men are coming fresh from superintendent jobs in other school districts in New England. Duquette was in charge of RSU #16 in Maine . He led the region in a merger from three separate town school systems to one regional district.

Duquette said that it was hard work to keep everyone happy, and that in the end he had to leave because there was much animosity toward him. Duquette alluded to accusations and an investigation but did not elaborate during his interview

"I was tired and I knew it was time to move on,” he said. 

For Hiersche, the reason for leaving the Framingham School District was much more personal.

"I don't mind the nights I don’t mind the hours, it's what I'm doing in the hours that matters,” Hiersche said. “During Town Meeting I spent 64 hours a week in meetings, I didn’t have time to go to the end of the year ceremonies and be visible in the town.”

Both candidates said cutting positions was a serious part of their time in their old districts; each said they had to cut more than 50 positions during their tenure.

The School Committee will be interviewing the third candidate, Mary Ellen Johnson, on Wednesday night at 7:30 in the Middle School Library. They will be announcing their selection at their July 18 working session.

Editors Note: If the School Committee decides to select Duquette for the interim position, Hopkinton Patch will look in to the specific accusations that he alluded to in his interview.