All right. Uh, good evening. I'd like to call together the April 1st, 2026 school committee meeting. Um, I'd like to welcome everyone. Our goal tonight is to conduct fair, consistent, and orderly interviews for the superintendent position. Earlier this evening, I had I
reviewed the order of business with my fellow school committee members so that we approach tonight's interview with a shared understanding of process and expectations. We will begin with opening remarks followed by a set of predetermined questions. Each committee member will be responsible for asking their assigned question and we will all take diligent
notes. While a candidate is responding, it is appropriate for school committee members to ask for points of clarification uh or invite the candidate to elaborate on a point they have raised. However, we will not prompt or steer candidates towards information they did not independently introduce. This approach
ensures fairness and allows each candidate to present what they believe is most important. At the conclusion of the questioning, each applicant will be given the opportunity to offer closing remarks. In particular, we're interested in hearing why Littleton is the right decision for them at this stage in their professional journey. To the members of
the public, I lost my spot. To the members of the public joining us tonight, thank you for being here and for your continued interest in this process. While this meeting is being conducted in open session, there will be no opportunity for public comment this evening. We ask that members of the public remain silent
observers throughout the interview process so we can maintain focus and consistency for all candidates. Community feedback, however, is extremely important part of this process. All community members are encouraged to complete the survey that has been made available to share feedback based upon the interviews, the
community forums, or any other exposure they've had to the candidates. Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful, fair, and smooth process this evening. Right at this point in time, we'll invite Mrs. Gaja and to join us.
>> Welcome, Mrs. Gaja. a little help. Um, we'll let you put your stuff down and introduce ourselves. >> Hi, Jenny. Good to see you. >> Thank you. >> Hi again.
>> Thank you, Justin. >> Sean, it's good to see you again. All right, just got a um opening message for you as you settle in. So, uh Mrs. Gajo, welcome. On behalf of Littleton School Committee, we're excited to have you this evening. We wish you the best of
luck. At the beginning of the interview, there will be an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and share any opening remarks. We have 14 prepared questions that the school committee members will take turns asking. At the end, we'll also give you a chance for some closing remarks to emphasize any key points or
raise any additional information that wasn't covered. We look forward to hearing from you. So, the floor is yours. >> Thank you so much. Thank you all for having me here tonight and today. This was a great day. I learned a lot from being out into the buildings and meeting with the staff and students and
certainly the parent community. So, that was great. Um, I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about my leadership experience and how it could better serve um, the Littleton school community. I began my career 27 years ago. Um, I
started off as a paraprofessional in a middle school for a short time before transitioning into my own classroom where I was a high school history teacher. I had freshman, sophomores, and then I had seniors for social and psych um which was fantastic. It was a great
experience. I had my own classroom for about 13 years and then I moved into administration when um I became an assistant principal at the same high school, North Middle Sex High School. Um, I was there as an
assistant principal for my first year and the last two months of it, I was asked to fill a void at the elementary school, Spalding Memorial. Um, their principal had been out on um, medical leave and they had a couple of, I should
say, a few other administrators, former administrators coming in to try to fill the void, but there was still something missing and they wanted a consistent person. So they had asked me to go there and fill that void which I happily did. And who knew I would like elementary school? I loved every minute of it. It
was great. Um and then the next year or as that year concluded um the fourth administrator position at the high school dissolved. So um I was asked to stay at Spalding Memorial. Um the staff asked me to stay as well as my
superintendent. So I did so and it's really where I really embraced and fell in love with the early childhood experience. It was a K to4 school and I was there for as an assistant principal for probably about another 10 years and
then um my superintendent asked me to go back to the high school to fill a need there. um there was some turnover in the role um and he asked me to kind of go in and help support. Um so I went there for
a year which was a great time for me to kind of figure out do I want to be a principal out as a high school or do I want to be a principal of an elementary school? Um because I really was toying with going back and forth and um then the principal position opened back at the elementary school where I was and I
was like that's meant to be. So there I went. Um, and I've been there for seven years, which has been great. Um, my first year was COVID, so that was um, trial by fire, if you will. It was a great experience. My, um, school
community, my parent community, they really, you know, we supported each other and took care of each other during that time. Um, yeah, and then here I am interviewing for this. Um, I will say,
you know, my experience spans K to2, which is something that I think not everybody brings to the table. Um, it's super insightful in that it gives me insightful into where our youngest learners start and where they need to be to be successful high school graduates. Um,
and we can define success in many ways, which we probably will during this conversation tonight. Um, and then I have three children of my own who have had their own experience, very different experiences in public schools as well. Um together they really helped me shape
um who I am as a leader, who I am as a principal responsible for young minds. Um most recently um I've been I was responsible and I feel an integral part of supporting the merger of um our
district elementary schools as they um became one. One of them being my own school. And throughout the whole process, my goal was to ensure that my students and staff felt safe in the transition, supported in the transition, and valued in the transition. You know,
we had conversations about how it would impact them and what we could do to kind of mitigate a lot of the angst that everybody was feeling. Um, my leadership philosophy is really grounded in um, relationships with
stakeholders, datadriven decision- making, and transparent communication. It's who I am and who I am as a leader, and I'm really excited about this opportunity to continue the conversation about how I could best serve Littleton. >> Thank you for that introduction.
>> Janine has her first question. >> I have the first question. Um, so a key goal for Littleton Public Schools is strengthening community engagement through meaningful partnerships. How will you proactively engage with our diverse stakeholders that include
parents, teachers, students, and community leaders to ensure that our district's culture is shaped by inclusive dialogue and that every family feels their voice is heard and valued. So, what I shared with you is a draft of
my entry plan. Um, some of you might have seen it. Um, part of that talks about, you know, hitting the ground running with developing these relationships with all stakeholders. Right off the bat in the summer, I would hope to have um open forums with parents
and caregivers, with select board members, school committee members, teachers, students, um parents, if I didn't already say parents. Um, and when I say teacher, I know I said this earlier, I mean anybody that works with kids, not just classroom teachers, for
sure. Um, I would welcome them coming into my office and using the first few months of um, this new role in I call it in the entry plan, listening and learning, hearing what their concerns are, what they're most proud of in their
district, what are they looking for their children or to get out of um, their education here in Littleton, what the stakeholders um, concerns are with the the needs in the district. you know, I'm sure um some of the conversations outside in the broader community would
focus on the budget and how we can work together to create a sustainable budget continuing moving forward um without impacting the community and without impacting us in a negative way. Um I think it's really important that people feel heard.
Um and part of that is also going to be me being visible in the community. Um participating in um you know we have Rotary meetings our district as we participate in Rotary meetings. It would be something like that. Um it would also
be attending local events so parents see me as somebody besides and caregivers besides somebody just sitting back in a building but actively involved in the community. Um it would also be being incredibly visible in the schools. um you know consistently visible in the
schools have to spend you know a few days in each school every month which would be great. Um again listening and learning because you can't really make decisions without being knowledgeable of what's happening. Um and some of that will be anecdotal for sure when you hear
people talking about it but you also need to see what's going on so you can make informed decisions. And I really feel like by being present in all places, it's going to allow the stakeholders to feel they could see me
and approach me and be heard with their concerns. >> Um, I have the next question which is number three. Um, school districts often face the difficult reality of doing more with less. Can you walk us through a specific
budget cycle where you were forced to make significant cuts or reductions? How did you determine what to protect and what to reduce and how did you bring your staff and community along in that process? >> Right. So um in my current district um
we're retired district um we have been plagued by the budget over years and the impact of you know um state funding on public education in particular regional school
districts um which has caused us over the past you know many years seven years for sure that I've been a principal to make significant reductions Um we are afforded the opportunity as building administrators. We work with
our superintendent very closely on the budget. Um part of that is this is how much money we need. We are short. How are we going to make up for that? Is it going to be staff cuts? Is it going to be program cuts? Is it going to be
you know increasing student user fees etc. Um at the heart of all decisions I feel it has to be about your number one priority which should be the kids right um and for the students to be successful
our teachers need the resources to be able to help them be successful they need to teach they need materials and supplies. Um so those two would those are my priorities when making decisions. Um over the years
we've had to look at unfortunately our specials and you know we no longer have a library which wasn't necessarily a building decision but a decision that was made alongside of us. Um, so we did have to talk with our staff about how we
are going to still support teachers having their planning time, how students are still going to have the opportunity to engage in a library experience because library is important for kids. Um, most recently um because unfortunately again this year we still
had to make um some additional cuts and at the elementary level it came to quite a substantial amount and a decision had to be made. Are we cutting staff, classroom teachers, pair of professionals, or where can it come
from? I made the decision um after talking with my staff, knowing the impact it could potentially have on them, but more so me, I chose to um to eliminate the with the support of the superintendent, of course, the assistant principal position in my building. That
would save the teaching positions. um that had the students at the forefront and the staff at the forefront and again that's our priority. Um I feel it's hard to say we're student centered if we're making decisions that are going to impact their ability to learn and grow.
So, the staff and I talked about what that would look like and um you know, they really rallied and supported me and we have a great team and I'm very fortunate um that we've been able to to be have a great year despite
not having an assistant principal. Been a lot of work, but it's been good. >> Thank you. >> All right. Uh next question. The field of education is changing rapidly from traditional lecture-based models to more student- centered learning. In addition to
knowledge acquisition, soft skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are now highly valued. This often involves a shift in practice for educators. How do you manage complex change in a large system like a school district? Please give specific examples
of a time when you shepherded change in your district and how you built buyin from the educators. I think change in any district or system is going to be tricky for sure when you have such a large um district or you
know system. Um it needs to be thoughtful and it needs to be meaningful. It needs to be patient if possible. um certainly don't want to jump to a decision without investigating all the factors that could
come after the decision is made like what one decision could impact five other homes right so we need to be thoughtful and mindful um I believe in getting buyin if you will from staff by involving them in the conversations um
and as a superintendent I would still make every effort to involve staff in these conversations. I would ask the principles to start there and work their way down. Have open forums to talk about large change that needs to take place. Um you know
in schools it's it's important that the teachers feel valuable and valued and respected and we can say you need to do this but why you know what is the reasoning? what's the outcome that's hopefully going to
happen? What's the expectation? Um, and what are the resources and supports that we may need to be successful in this change? Because this sounds like a drastic change. Um, we've had over the years, you know, Amy, even going back to COVID, um, my first year, obviously, we
had to change how we taught a lot. Um, you know, going to every other week or two days, one cohort, another two days, another cohort. Um, early on that was a a big decision that we had to make and we talked to the teachers. What's going to work for you to get the most out of
your students and help your students become successful. Um, that was obviously a big change that we we had to embrace some sort of change, but we had the conversation about how it's going to work and what it look like and what's going to make the most sense.
basically um you know restructuring our our school day. We've had conversations about that that I would have um them involved in. I think the most recent um when it comes to scheduling a building um think that that's easy. When I came
in, it was very much um and having been there as an assistant principal, I knew what it was, but it was very structured for the teachers. Um, but it was almost too structured for the teachers. So, we talked about what would it look like if you picked your schedule in terms of
here's the school day, here's the specials that in lunches that can't be touched. What would it look like? What would it feel like for you to be involved in the scheduling process? Um, and initially that was scary for some people. They're like, just tell me what to do. Elementary teachers are very much rule followers and I love them and
that's not a judgment. Um, but just tell me what to do. and others are like, "Yes, thank you so much. Now I have flexibility to run my small groups or the special educators can come in at a different time instead of being locked in at a time." Um, and while that might not sound like a big change globally for my building, that was a change. And you
know, I think they really value being part of the conversation in the process. >> Thank you. >> Number five, many districts treat social emotional learning and academic rigor as two separate buckets. Can you describe a
time when you successfully integrated mental health supports directly into the instructional core? How did you measure success in that instance beyond standardized test scores? >> We we do have our own um SEAL classes at
my building. Um the specialists actually teach it, but because the specialists teach it, they also embed it in their day-to-day instruction, which is fantastic. Um, our classroom teachers are also familiar. We use Second Step. You guys use Second Step as well. So,
our classroom teachers are very familiar with the language and the practice and they embed it in their day-to-day teaching instruction as well. um my school adjustment counselor and my counselor, they go into the classrooms um and they teach alongside our
classroom teachers their MARK lessons which while it's not a traditional SEAL, it's um an anti-bullying if you're familiar Mass Association and Reduction Aggression Reduction Center Mark lessons um and it's in an
anti-bullying program and so they go in and teach alongside the teacher to teach kids about empathy in being a bystander or an upstander. but they also embed that into their teaching later on in the day and the teachers because they're there with the counselors and because
they're part of the SEAL curriculum, they're able to constantly refer to this language throughout their day. Um, and we see it all the time in many successful ways. Um, it's certainly anecdotal at our level for sure. Um, but
I just had an example two days ago. Um, one of our older students came in and reported that a second grader was being bullied on the bus. Um, and she didn't have to do it and several of the kids did not, but she said, "It's not okay and you know, I am not a bystander. I'm
an upstander and I'm letting you know this is happening and you know, you can't be more successful than that." Using the language and everything, it's really, really great. Um we because we have this embedded in our day-to-day, we are seeing um kids being able to regulate a little bit easier when the
teacher refers back to and know size of the problem isn't necessarily second step language, but that's another example of common language around well-being in the classroom. Um and they'll return refer to that often as well. What's the size of the problem?
You know, what's going on? Can you see yourself in another student's perspective? Things like that. um that we have a lot a lot less big reactions in the classroom and kids have more of an appropriate reaction in the classroom.
But if they do have get tripped up and you know maybe have a bigger reaction in the wrong zone, the teachers are well versed in how to support them and then you know they're able to move on with their day staying in the classroom which is great. So the next question uh six, have you
previously built uh lines of communication with various district stakeholders such as your leadership team, the faculty, community leaders, business interests and families? How will you use those experiences to introduce yourself to and gain the confidence of parents and town boards?
Um, I have because I feel like, um, when it comes to our responsibility, it truly, and I know I just said this earlier at another forum, it really takes a village to raise a child. And kids are in school sometimes more than longer than they're
at home because of after school activities and sports, right? So, we have them six, seven hours a day. And it truly takes all of us to help the school do what they need to do to help our kids be successful. Um and having open lines of communication is so important in
making that happen. Um we have quite a few initiatives that we would benefit from having outside support such as we don't have a a whole lot of businesses in towns in um that are able to you know maybe make donations and whatnot but we have a few
that we have I have reached out to directly to support um different initiatives. We had a new playground built about 12 years ago now um 12 13 years ago that was completely donated by an anonymous donor um who
shall not be named um but the community came together to help install to put it all together to really um make this an amazing learning environment. But that required us to reach out to different um vendors in the community. They donated
bark mulch. they donated, you know, their time, their energy, their resources. Um, they, you know, because we need machinery to come in and do some of this work. So, it's not just, you know, hammer and screws basically. I don't know. Um, but it's not just putting the actual pieces together, it's
creating the whole environment. And it really took a lot of people and a lot of resources to get that done. So, that was incredibly helpful. But again, involving them in the process. Um I rely on my school counsel to help communicate broadly um things that are happening in
the school to generate some interest and some support. Um a few years ago, yeah, probably like four years ago, our school council decided to um work together to get a book vending machine
for our student because we our students we aligned that with one of our um buckets of our school improvement plan, which was um meeting the needs of all students because some of that is their mental well-being. So, we're looking at that and how can we encourage kids to, you know, be actively involved in their
education? How can we encourage kids to make the right choices? Things like that. So, we came up with this idea of getting a book vending machine and using kids making great choices, going above and beyond, if you will, to earn a coin. But, it took $12,000. Um, so we had to
raise that and we raised it in two years, which is pretty good for a public school. Um, and we literally raised it through um, school events only. I didn't end up getting any donations from outside. So, it was really grassroots,
if you will. Um, but that took um, getting the word out to the community that we're having a food truck festival or that we're having a harvest market and this is the purpose and this is what we're doing. Um, and that was really great. I think with
communication, I feel like this is a a little long an answer. Um, I have regular communication every week with my families um through a newsletter update, if you will. And that also helps them feel more connected to the school. And I think that's really important. If we
want parents to be involved, we have to make sure we involve parents. Um, so we can't just assume they know what's going on. Um, use social media as well. And sorry, the next part of your question, I'm like just going off. Um,
oh, I feel very comfortable and confident in terms of how I'll use my experience to approach um different businesses or parents, sorry, in town boards. I don't have my glasses on. Um, I feel very confident and comfortable having conversations with new people
and, you know, introducing myself and letting them know what our building or district priorities are and asking how we can work together to make those things happen. Um, I love the idea of having the community in the school. I think people who have had children in the district or no longer have children
in the district feel disconnected. So, another um thing that I would love to do as superintendent is to make sure we're communicating broadly about, you know, big games, the play at the end of the year, big performances, band events,
things like that, so that they don't feel so disconnected and then we say, "Hey, we need an override and give us your money." They're going to say, "What's going on?" So, I think that they really need to feel connected and to be invested. Number seven is, as superintendent, how
would you ensure that every student, regardless of their background, experiences a genuine sense of belonging and academic success in our classrooms every day? How will you create and support a culture of inclusivity that
will help all of our students thrive? >> I think that goes back to one of the earlier questions about involving stakeholders. I think students are just as important to hear from as the parents and community members and caregivers. So, another group that I would love to
be speaking with um you know early on would be the students. What are they feeling? what are they feel that they're missing and lacking? Um, and what we can do to kind of help them feel more connected to the district if they're not. Um, I think that to help students
feel more included, you have to take a look at what's happening in the classroom. And that goes back to being visible and present frequently and consistently in all um, bless you. in all grade levels and all buildings um to see what's happening. And you know, some
of that might the way um the profile of a student has changed so much over the years that might involve some training and professional development for teachers and support staff. Are we noticing when students are feeling disconnected? Do we have our trauma training? Um do we realize that this
behavior could be this type of communication if it's a behavior um if it evolves into a behavior issue? A lot of times students that don't feel they belong kind of shut down and you maybe like move to the back of the corner, especially the older they get. Um, you know, are we identifying that? Are we
making sure our kids are actively engaged or are they passively engaged where they're sitting there but they're not participating in their learning? There's a big difference in the two. Um, one of the first when we do our evaluations, as you all I'm sure know, um, we have our different indicators
that we look at for our evaluations. And the first one I always go to is the safe learning environment. When I walk into a classroom, do am I noticing that the students feel safe and supported and want to be there? Um, not every student
is going to love school. Um, but we want them to like it enough to participate in their education. Do they feel comfortable engaging? You know, if I'm seeing the same kid raise their hand repeatedly, I might ask the teacher like, "Hey, you know, he seems really has a good handle. What's going on with the other kiddos?" Things like that. Do
they feel reluctant to participate? Um, you know, and why would that happen? I think we notice students are a little bit more um not engaged in their learning or pulling
back from the greater classroom community. Maybe have a conversation with our counseling staff. Um, we have a great um school adjustment counselor. You guys have, from what I understand, amazing adjustment counselors. I would rely on them for sure to make sure that
we're meeting the um the mental health needs anyways of our students and um tapping into whether or not it's a sense of belonging or if there's something more going on. And in terms of inclusivity, oh um
it's incredibly important I feel that all students feel like they should be included in the classroom setting. Um, and whether it's our high achieving students or if it's our struggling learners or if it's our subsearate programs, every student should have the
opportunity to feel like they're part of the larger community. And it's important that we celebrate our differences, but also give opportunities to bring everybody together. And I would look to have conversations with my staff, the
principles, um, about what's happening in their building and how we can increase inclusivity if it's not happening. Um, how can we make that happen in a K to2 setting as well? >> Okay, I've got um number eight. Okay,
>> so earlier we asked about specific budget cuts that you had to make. What were the outcomes of those decisions? What data or metrics did you use to guide that decision? And what would you do differently in hindsight?
Um, well, in the most specific one with it comes to making the decision to eliminate the role of the assistant principal at my school. Um I the metrics I used if I'm being honest is what is the impact on the classrooms? You know we would have classroom sizes
above 26 which is crazy pants for an elementary school. Um we would have too fewer support staff and we had already lost so many along the way in the past couple of years that it was just not something that I could feel good about.
Um, you know, 26 kids in a class as it is now, um, is a lot for an elementary school. It's a lot for a high school. Um, but elementary school in particular, you know, you have the same kiddos for the entire day. In a high school, you
know, you see a different class, so the next class might only have 20 kids. Um, 26 kids for the entire day. It's really hard, um, not necessarily on the teacher, but also on the students to make sure their needs are being met. Um, so I just really didn't it didn't sit right with me um making that worse, so
to speak. Um, you know, and reflecting on it, was it the right decision? Absolutely. Am I tired? Sure. Um, but I also don't feel it's it's okay for me to ask my staff to sacrifice if I'm not also willing to sacrifice. Um, you know,
and certainly I made that decision, you know, with my superintendent. I didn't make it in isolation by any means, you know, and he supported my decision. And um we were hopeful that eventually that position will come back in some capacity. Um potentially as a part-time
between two buildings would be great. Um just to alleviate some of the discipline work that has to happen. Um you know, that's what spend a lot of your time doing. So um yeah, I I stand by the decision. I think it was the right one
to do. Um, you know, my staff are important. You know, so are my kids. If they don't have the resources, the teachers don't have the resources and support, the kids aren't going to have what they need to learn. >> Thank you. >> Can I ask a quick follow? Sure.
>> Uh, so once you realized the cuts were going to be needed, in this case, the assistant principal position, when did you start communicating that to the community, starting that dialogue, or was that something you felt necessary? Um well, we started the communication at the budget presentation. You know, it
was made before we have, you know, we're told this is our budget to work with. Um and then you need to make this reductions. We probably last year presented three different maybe four different budgets to the school committee before we finally landed on one that served both the community and the school district. Um so
it wasn't in the first couple of iterations of the budget and then when it was like okay we still need this much more then it was presented at um to the school committee and they said if you're okay with that and we were and then they presented it at the um school committee
meeting for the public to see and hear. >> Thank you. And certainly we had a conversation with the assistant principal before it became public. Um and you know she understood that that was going to be a necessity as well and she was able to find a home in
another school system. So >> all right number nine. Growing a strong community starts with our staff. >> Yes. Um, how do you plan to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse team of educators and administrators who reflect the global society our students are
entering? Can you provide an um can you provide an example of how you have successfully fostered a professional culture where differing perspectives are viewed as a source of strength? >> Um, yes. So,
recruiting teachers is really tough these days. Um, I think I said this at my first interview. When I first became um, a department chair and I was hiring teachers, I posted for a history position, I probably would get 150 applicants. I post for a first grade teacher. Now I'm lucky to get 11, which
speaks to the decrease in people going into education, even elementary education where everybody thinks it's fun. Um, and it is, but you know, it definitely speaks to a declining um, interest in going into this job, which is unfortunate. Um, so part of
recruiting is going to definitely be reaching out to colleges, bringing kids in to do their student teaching, their field work, their practicum, free practicum, what have you. Um, so they can um maybe if they're interested and they like our school, they would want to stay. Um, but also letting the colleges
know that we are here, we're looking for people to come. Um, there's job fairs too as well that a lot of school districts participate in. um you know and once you have a teacher the retention is huge especially if they're talented um you retain talented teachers
for sure um but to develop them I think a strong mentoring program is really critical I think um you know certainly it's required to have a mentoring program for any um new teacher into the field um but
not just because it's required should you do it you should do it because it's the right thing to do to really build that sense of camaraderie and um connectedness to the district. I think um you know it's just as important for our novice teachers to be part of a
mentoring program as it is our well experienced teachers who are coming to us from another district. You know they would certainly be a level three mentorship where they just have that connection but without that connection they might think okay so maybe I don't belong here. I don't really know anybody. I don't know how things operate
so to speak. And having that person attached to them, if you will, their first year, despite being well experienced, is going to help them feel more connected hopefully to the school, the community, and the district. So, they would want to stay um
for sure. I when it comes to retention as well um I don't have um in my experience I'm able to retain teachers because of the culture and community I have um worked with my staff to create in my building.
Um I it's not beyond me to go in and teach with them um to you know pull them aside if they're struggling and have conversations about how I can help. Um, it's also something that I pride myself on is that
we are um, we, some people refer to it as a family. I like to refer to it as a community because, you know, family can go one way or the other. Um, but a sense of community and that we look out for each other, we support each other. That does not mean we always agree with each other. And that goes to the next part of
the question. You need to have healthy dialogue. Um, differences create great ideas sometimes and that that is really powerful. Um, but as long as we are having transparent communication, we I'm
visible. Um, I'm referred to as approachable. Um, my door is always open for people to come and see me. And I'm very attuned to my staff and what's going on with them. And that's because of my day-to-day interactions by being visible in the classrooms, being visible
in the hallways, having um conversations like, "Hey, you know, so and so got married. Congratulations." Like just showing that I care in small ways matters in a huge way to staff. Um so, you know, that's something that is very special about my building, I think, and
um something that I would definitely bring to the four walls of Littleton for sure. Um but again when it goes back to having the um professional differences or you know you I stand by that too. You have great ideas that conflict with each other and you come to the middle and
you're going to have you know this actually maybe even makes more sense. Let's try something different. Um yeah number 10. We value lifelong learning in our district. How do you prioritize and pursue your own professional learning and model that practice for other
educators? Please provide specific examples of recent steps you have taken to keep a breast of current educational innovations. Great question. I do love lifelong learning myself. Um and um you know should I have this opportunity um I
would hope to be able to allow to what have you to be able to participate in the new superintendent induction program um to continue helping me learn and grow. Um most recently I finished my and this was about a year ago now but in terms of
schooling I finished um the program at the Harvard um school of business. They had a school management and leadership program. Um, and you know, I definitely had some takeaways, also some reaffirming, um, you know, ideas that I
was like, "Hey, yeah, that makes sense. Me too." Um, so it was really great. It was insightful. Um, and I was able to really reflect on my own practice and that was um, incredibly
um, meaningful to me. Um, most recently, you know, with the because I'm at an elementary school, as you know, there's been the whole shift with the um making sure we're focusing on the science of reading, which is impacted our um early literacy programs. Um, so that is
something to continue to make sure that I'm um up to speed on, if you will. But, you know, diving into the science of reading, it's a great book. I'm halfway through. Um, and then having great conversations with my staff
and my curriculum um, department, meaning my assistant superintendent and we have um, had a curriculum director last year. We talked about this extensively and how we are making sure that we're doing the right things for the kids. But, you know, certainly being um, always willing to learn even if it's
to say, "Hey, I didn't know that. Let me go take a look at it. I might not have all the answers." me going in finding out the answer is me learning and you know simple things like that tells the staff too that you know I'm continuing to learn we all should continue to learn
so I have question 11 student success is often hindered by invisible barriers anxiety food insecurity or a lack of belonging How do you empower your building level leaders to uh identify these barriers early and what systems have you built to ensure that a student's mental health
crisis is treated with the same urgency as an academic intervention? >> Um, great question. Um, and we could have talked about this upstairs. You know, our, you know, poor kids these days, even at the back down here, we spoke about it. even at the elementary level are plagued by so many things that
um were didn't seem to be an issue back when certainly we were in school or even you know precoid although I'm sure it existed it wasn't wide um widely recognized maybe um but we know that our kids are carrying so much weight on their shoulders and it's our
responsibility as educators teachers administrators to be mindful of the students needs beyond on their academics. Um, one thing that I did, um, when I became a principal, and we've had it three times now, it's been seven
years, um, is I've had trauma training for my staff, um, where we brought in people. Um, the first year we brought in an outside person and then, um, because my school adjustment counselor was brand new with me, she wasn't quite ready to present to the entire staff. uh two
years later she did a presentation to my staff um and she has again on um what trauma looks like in kids. You know, people think it's they're going to be crying or they're going to be doing this that the other thing. Really, it could be them just sitting there quietly, not doing their homework, but they're not
acting up. It could be their behavior is because um it's their form of communication. Trauma looks so different in a lot of kids. It PTSD um can mimic ADHD, right? So, if you didn't know that, you might just think, you know, some kiddo has ADHD when really they're
carrying some heavy baggage from the experience that they had that, you know, we might not have been privy to. Um, so I think, you know, training your staff to be aware of what, you know, trauma looks like. Um, food insecurity is considered trauma for sure. um anything that really impacts these kids to a a
great level um is something that it helps to have some training to be aware of. Um in terms of what we do, how we respond, um I treat mental health in my building just as um critical of a
need as academic intervention. Um if kids aren't in a good place, they're not going to learn. And we have um created a great system to identify students who are in need. And that really just comes
from conversations, visibility, administrators being in and out of the classrooms. You know, when you see a kid come in the door and their hoods on and normally it's not on, well, that's a red flag, right? Um if they're coming in without a coat in the middle of winter, you know, I'm noticing you don't have a
coat today. Let's have a conversation. How are you doing? What's going on? So that is really important for not only teachers to be aware of but also administrators because you know at the end of the day they're the ones that are probably going to be handling a lot of the tough conversations with parents or
whoever the conversation needs to be with. >> Thank you. When faced with a budget shortfall or a directive to catch up on learning loss, the extras like recess, art, nutrition, and and school lunches are often the
first to be cut. Walk us through your framework for protecting student well-being in times of high pressure or limited resources, not just budget, time. Yeah, I think um
the first, you know, thing that you would want to do that I would do um is to pull my leadership team together and say, what are our other alternatives, you know, besides making drastic changes that are going to impact the only time these kids get a break or are having an
experience that they really enjoy like art, um we have to be creative when we look at, you you know, whether it's scheduling that impacts this, whether it's the budget that impacts this, whether it's reduction in resources that impacts these areas. Um, we have to be
able to try to be a little creative in how we make this happen. Um, one thing that we have done in my building in particular that I'm very proud of this year, um, is we, you know, have a reduction in resources to provide
intervention to students. Um and while it doesn't necessarily fall into recess, art, lunches, etc., it could um because we would have to take resources away from say art to bring this in the interventions to kids. We might have to
take recess away so that they are getting what their needs met in a different location for example. Um you know potentially rearrange your lunch schedule etc. Um so what we've done is we brought in community volunteers who could u make a commitment for you know
we only had eight months left of school so eight months because it didn't start until mid-occtober late October um we brought in volunteers that would make a commitment for the remainder of the school year to provide those um interventions to our kids and the volunteers are seniors in our community
which is fantastic. Um there are former teachers. Um one is a former art teacher, former um CCD teacher. Um and it's it's really great. One is a parent who um was not a teacher, but she has um a neurotypical kiddo and a neurode
divergent kiddo. So she's able to provide support in um kind of a different way, which is fantastic. Um and so they come into our school. Um each one takes a day during the week. We just don't have one on Friday. and they um alleviate some of the pressures
that would take away from maybe some different opportunities. The kids are not missing out on their fun Friday, for example, because these interventions are provided at another time during the day because we have this person where the teacher might only be able to provide it during fun Friday time while the pair professional watches the kiddos in the
classroom, so to speak. So, you know, we try to be really creative with how we use the resources that we have so other areas aren't impacted. But it all goes back to the conversations that you're having with your administrative team and your um and by administrative team I mean like leadership team in the
different buildings and then possibly the teachers too. You know what's happening here? What are what do you see as a strategy to avoid this happening where they're going to miss out on possibly these opportunities. You know I can speak from an ivory tower so to speak but if I'm not the boots on the
ground which I do hope to be by being more present in the buildings. Um, but they again, they're there with the anecdotal data. They see the day-to-day. They would have just as great ideas as I'm sure anybody could come up with. >> My question, >> um, what prompted sort of the volunteer
community initiative? Was it something districtwide? Was it an actually the reduction in intervention and then that was a creative solution? >> It was, um, it was a couple of things. So, it was, you know, when we were looking for an override, um, a lot of what we heard was, um,
antiquated ideas about what's happening in schools. And so, we said, let's bring people into the schools. You know, obviously you could take a tour anytime you want, schedule tour, can't just show up, but take a tour through the schools, engage in the school, volunteer in the schools. And then we also, you know,
were impacted by the reduction in interventionists. And we thought, how can we bring these ideas together? and the parent who I was referring to um that helps out, she's on Wednesdays um Gen 4s, she really spearheaded this idea and she reached out to all of us and um
I guess I was kind of the only school that said yes, absolutely. And so she and I worked together to create a schedule to make sure we're placing people where their strengths are and try to really um build um this program up. And the middle school also ended up taking on um some of this as well, which
is really great to have the, you know, middle school kids have, you know, the former teachers come back and support. He did an art program, which I guess was pretty great. Um yeah, so it really and the seniors really enjoy being in the school. Um they do get a tax um relief from it, which is helpful for them as
well. But it also has helped the conversation about how education has evolved and where um why it's so different than what it was previously and the need for changes. >> You guys are going to laugh at me. I know we only have like two questions left in the closing remarks, but I need
a quick one minute break. Can >> we just pause the interview? >> Yeah, absolutely. >> Year of doing those things. It's in her scripts that I was able to go. >> So, I'm number 13. Okay. Superintendent
sometimes have to respond quickly and efficiently in times of crisis. Please describe your process from need to message sent. Please include which stakeholders you would contact and how and what steps you would take after the
event. Um well I guess you know there are a lot of different crises that you would need to respond to. Um and they're all um you know how you respond to each one might be a little bit different. But if you're
thinking a large a large crisis or a widespread crisis um you know obviously the first thing you're going to do is reach out to your support. So, if there's something happening that's not safe, I guess we want to focus on that in a building. Obviously, we need to connect with the um the police, the
fire, whatever have you, the emergency responders if that's the case. I don't know if that's the type of crisis that you're referring to. Okay. Um >> yeah, for sure. And then, you know, once you have your um your I would hope that your district has a crisis response plan
developed. If not, that's something that I would think would happen, you know, very quickly into my leadership. Um, but you enact your crisis response plan and um follow that the way it's lined out, which is making your convers connections with the emergency responders. Um
certainly once everybody was safe, you know, you're certainly going to reach out to if it's at one school, that school community would be your first people that you're going to connect with to assure everybody that we're safe or what the next steps are with wherever you are
in the crisis. Um if it's, you know, at an elementary school, this is how we respond and this is where your kiddos are or they're safe. It was not what we thought it was going to be kind of thing. Um, but then because it's such a a scary situation, you're also going to
certainly communicate broadly in your community about what took place and, you know, reassure people if you're able to reassure people. Um, and if you're not, when the crisis has settled down, if it does actually end up being a a real crisis, um, when
you have the appropriate time and direction of whoever's in charge to respond, you're going to make your, um, communicate with the families or the stakeholders at large, depending on what the situation is. It's really kind of vague um because I don't know if we're
talking about you know a a horrible crisis or if we're talking about if you have I would consider honestly um you know when I think at our original interview we talked about some graffiti a horrific racist graffiti on a wall. I would consider that a crisis that needs to be addressed immediately. you know,
certainly at that school, um, you're going to communicate with families what happened, but then I would also because of the nature of what took place, I would also communicate with the other families and let them know this happened and that we have zero tolerance policy for this and what our next steps would be. I think it all depends on the the
crisis at hand, your timing for your response. Um because certainly if it's a tragic situation, you need to be following certain guidelines. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> Sorry if that feels vague, but
>> No, that's that's fine. Thanks. >> All right, question 14. Last official question. Um over the course of this day, you have met with our educators, administrators, parents, and students. As you reflect on that experience, what stands out to you about
our school community and what makes you a great fit for our district? >> Great question. Um, I've really loved the day today. It was um, it was exciting to be part of, but it was exciting to have these conversations. What I've taken away is that your
students K to 12 love learning. Um, they really are engaged in the process. all the classrooms that I went into, we saw some really great things happening, which was fun. Um although someone did ask me how old I was, which is fine. It's elementary, they do
that. Um but um the teachers really like being here. I saw that too. Um I heard that as well when you talk about retention and longevity. You know, I talked to one teacher, she was here 29 years in the district. Um and she didn't say she was retiring. I don't know if
she is, but you know, that's fantastic. 29 years. It's amazing. Um, so that speaks to people wanting to be here in the district and, you know, committing and staying in the district. So, that's really exciting. Um, your parents are very invested in and caregivers are very
invested in the community, which I love. Um, you don't always see that necessarily in in different communities, but, you know, it was very um obvious here, which is great. Um, I really appreciate hearing um what they feel
they're most proud of of the school in their district, in their community. That's a question I asked everybody and without a beat, they were all able to say something that they were most proud of over the past couple of years in their field or in their office, in their school, etc. Um, which is amazing. Um,
so it was really um great to be part of. I um I really I really see myself being um a perfect fit for this community. I know everybody's going to say that. Um and I said this previously, I know, but
I, you know, have had the opportunity to apply for quite a few um superintendencies. I was encouraged by my superintendent to apply for several and I chose not to because it wasn't a good fit. um you know and I don't see the what if I got it and I'd be like oh
no I got a job here you know I didn't really want it I just did it you know so it really had to align with who I am as a person and as a leader and I really truly feel that that is little completely student centered focused
right um your sense of community your um sense of equity inclusivity is is just so um present and felt and that is who I am as a person and that is who I am as a leader.
Um you know have opportunity to talk to um people in my school and my school community and doing reference checks. I think they would all speak to that as as that's my character and who I am. I waited to the right opportunity and this I was one I was thinking about is this what I want in the next chapter of my
life at the same time that this posting happened and I was like it's meant to be here I am. So, I think that's what makes me a great fit. I have what everybody's has said that they're looking for in the next leader. Um, I am incredibly
present. I'm um very transparent. I'm communicate on the regular. Um, I don't think anybody would say too much. I do believe if it can be an email, let's have an email. Um, I believe in
perseverance and responsibility. And while I encourage everybody to take risks in their teaching and in their learning, um, you know, there's also accountability. And that's also what I've been hearing um, very visible in the schools and in
the classrooms. And I really, you know, when I'm hearing what these people are looking for and these people, meaning the every group that I've spoken to, you know, it just it's who I am and how I am as a leader. Perfect. >> Um, so this is an opportunity for you to
give your closing statement. Uh thank you so much for your time and your answers and welcome you to give your closing statement and ask any questions you may have for us. Share any closing thoughts. >> Sure. Um so you know it's obviously not lost on me that your other two
candidates have a a seated position in central office which is great. Um, and while I'm not a assistant superintendent, nor have I had an active role in central office, I have been given the opportunity to participate in
quite a few um, roles and responsibilities that my superintendent participates in. I've been in obviously, as you know, budget um, conversations, very difficult conversations around budget restructuring, um, merging two schools together. I was actively part of
that. I've had um a role in our most recent round of negotiations. So, I'm very familiar with the collective bargaining process um and you know in personnel issues. I've been involved in those as well at a greater level than just my building. Um so, while I I don't
have coming as an assistant superintendent, I don't feel like that is a disservice to me being successful in this position because I've had these other opportunities. Um I feel that um in addition to being to my leadership
style, my background spanning K to2 and special education as a team chair um is really going to help have a wider vision of where our kids are and where they need to be and where they're going to go hopefully. And you
know, you know, I'll stand by the the idea that success, it looks different for everybody, but every child can be successful and it's our job to do that. And I know it's my responsibility as a superintendent to work with the school committee to create policies and um
plans and budgets to help teachers do their job so our kids can reach whatever goal that they're setting for themselves. Um, and I really look forward to the opportunity of, you know, doing that here in Littleton.
>> Excellent. Um, any questions for us at this time? >> Yeah. Um, I just want to know what you're looking for in the next superintendent. Any time I get to start? >> If you'd like. >> Um, I'm
because of u some of my experience here in town. Um, I'm looking forward someone not just an extraordinary communicator and someone who leads with communication, who doesn't just wait for there to be something you have to
communicate with, but who sees things on the horizon and is out in front of of issues and and things that are coming up. making sure that all of our communities understand where you're coming from and where where
you're taking the schools. Um, but I'm also looking for someone who is very very good at working with other town boards. We have done a lot of work here in town over the past 20 years to go
from a fairly fractured community into a community that is working together to do some really beautiful things. Um, but there was a lot of work that went into it and we want to continue the work that we've done there. We want someone I want
someone who will take that and move us into the future as as a whole community. The school's a major part of it. >> Sure. >> Great. >> Yeah. actually building on some of the ideas that Janine just said, I'm um looking for an instructional leader that
will really provide some um coherence between our four schools so that it's they're not individual buildings, but they have some commonalities with initiatives that um address our district strategic plan and um our mission
statement. So that and in addition to um being a lifelong learner, that was my question. Um, so I I think it's really important to stay on top of um current best practices in education and to be that kind of instructional leader that
builds buy in um so that we stay on the cutting edge of um the best that's happening in education right now. >> Um I am looking for an individual that realizes the job uh if not done correctly is probably too big for one
person. So that starts with um a person that's really strong at delegating the work and is able to sort of maintain that 10,000 foot view over the school system because it's a really easy job to I think get lost in the weeds. >> Sure. >> Um while it's super important to be
visible, I want a visible superintendent, we also need people in central office getting the work done, doing the planning, executing the plan. So, I think that it needs to stem from building a strong culture of morale, buyin from the staff, you know, from the
central office staff all the way down to the custodial staff. >> Absolutely. >> Um, not putting one one over the other, of course. Um, again, I think it's someone that's just going to maintain that 10,000 foot view, empower the rest of the employees within
the district to um make the decisions, be responsible for their output, and help move the district forward uh in any way that we possibly can. I mean, this you heard from the students. >> Um, it's a place that I that I believe that they're proud of >> Yes, absolutely. >> the education they receive and and we
hear the students saying they they want more. they want more opportunities and we're faced with a budget situation >> uh year over year and we got to try to figure out a way to make that work and it's like I like what you said is that success is different for everybody but everybody can be successful.
>> Yeah. >> Um so I'm rambling at this point but uh >> I think I rambled on a question or two >> but that that's that's the ideal candidate for me. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, I think what everyone said, I would just add to that Littleton's a really special community.
We keep using the word community, but it truly feels like it. And I think one of the sort of hesitations or or you know, thoughts that come to mind with change is like is somebody going to come in and change everything that's been working so well. And so really looking for somebody to to listen and learn and embrace who
we are and then offer opportunities for growth and for betterment but not not to come in and you know just I think it should be done this way and just to undo all the beautiful work that we >> hopefully you can read my entry plan because it talks about listening and learning certainly before making any
decisions. Um I know this came up you know was gone last but um I think an intentional communicator so really thinking about why we're communicating and what we want to communicate. >> Um having a student center budget which I know you spoke to which is great
having that in the approach. Um I do think it's important to adopt the community right and you mentioned that as well and then just being a curious leader >> is really big as well. >> Great. I think I'm your person. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
>> Thank you for coming. >> I'm going to just close the meeting and then we'll otherwise I get in trouble. >> Um, >> do I read? >> No, no, no, no. Should need to talk with us as in open session or are we >> No, I'm just going to check in about when you'll get emails from me. Okay.
>> Ask for a motion for a jar. >> Second. >> Made by Sean, seconded by Elaine. All those in favor indicate by saying I. I. All right. We have a jar.