School Committee Votes to Hire Dr. Kathleen Smith as Interim Superintendent

The School Committee voted unanimously to offer Kathleen Smith, an experienced Massachusetts school superintendent, the Interim Superintendent position for Newton Public Schools.  The vote is subject to contract negotiations and her term would be from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.  Dr. Smith is presently the Interim Superintendent for the Dover-Sherborn school district, and she previously held that role in Salem and Weymouth.  Prior to that, she worked for 42 years in the Brockton schools as Superintendent (fall 2013 through spring 2019), administrator, and educator.  Her resume can be found here.

Dr. Smith was interviewed publicly by the School Committee during a June 13^th special session, accessible for replay on NewTV.  While conducting the Zoom interview from her office in the Dover-Sherborn district, Dr. Smith spoke highly of Newton as a “well resourced” and “renowned” school district that was “diverse in so many ways.”  School Committee members asked questions on such topics as crisis management, the role of an Interim Superintendent, and the effects of the pandemic.  In her responses, Dr. Smith cited how she managed threats of violence made on social media while she was at Dover-Sherborn, helping districts in their full time superintendent searches, and the importance of discussing current news events with students.

Multiple School Committee members stated they had heard positive things about Dr. Smith when discussing NPS’ vacancy with members of the Massachusetts education community.  When asked about significant issues facing NPS, Dr. Smith cited the budget and educator burnout as immediate topics she would attempt to address. Additionally, she alluded to the old Newton vs. Brockton football rivalry and noted she was the cheerleading coach at Brockton High School in the early 1980s.  A detailed article about Dr. Smith’s time in Brockton can be found in The Enterprise, a local newspaper.  

The School Committee did not ask any questions about Dr. Smith’s views on academic achievement.  This could be seen by some Newton parents as a missed opportunity, given concerns about Newton’s commitment to academic excellence that had been raised during last year’s School Committee campaigns and in parent discussions with school administrators. While the School Committee did not explore Dr. Smith’s perspective on measuring a district’s goals, MCAS data and other metrics for Dr. Smith’s prior school districts are publicly available on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

School Committee members, who often have differing priorities from each other, were uniform in their enthusiasm for Dr. Smith. The district goals for the 2022-2023 academic year will be determined in the fall by the NPS administration and School Committee, and Dr. Smith’s experience will be critical in implementing them.