Sue Flicop

As the school year gets under way and the search for a new, permanent school superintendent begins in earnest, I feel more strongly than ever that we must be sure to hire an exceptional leader in the education field.

We know that the quality of the teacher is the most important single element in a child’s education. We must have a school system that is led by someone who intimately understands what it takes to hire, create and support high-quality teachers–someone with a high level of expertise in teaching and learning.

Our school system is large–11,500 students, and a budget of $165 million. The new superintendent must be able to manage a large organization, and to propose and implement a budget that reflects educational priorities shared by our community.

Additionally, the Newton Public Schools need a leader who is a strong communicator and a good listener. We must have a superintendent who is responsive to the needs of all the stakeholders in our schools–students, parents, staff, and the community at large. A strong belief in the importance of communication will then begin to “trickle down” to all levels of the school system.

In addition to hiring the new superintendent, my other areas of focus are:

* Implementing long-range financial planning in our school system–essentially planning how to finance our schools more than one year at a time;
* Focusing on high-quality teaching–hiring, training, supporting and evaluating the best teachers; and
* Improving communications between the School Committee, the school administration, and the community.