Howard Named Assistant Superintendent

Lisa Howard has been appointed assistant superintendent of the Winthrop public schools.

Superintendent John Macero said that Howard will retain her current responsibilities as pupil personnel director in addition to assuming her new title as second-in-command of the school system.

“Lisa is very deserving of this role,” said Macero. “For many years she has brought the special education department to a Level 1 ranking which is the state education department’s highest rating. She’s a very caring member of our district. She cares for kids very deeply and wants to make sure they get the best education possible What I like about Lisa is that she will challenge me as well because when we do that, we’re only going to do better things for the kids.”

Macero explained the reasoning behind his decision to promote Howard to the new role.

“I wanted to be able to have someone else other than myself to be the legal authority in Winthrop if I was not at my desk or if I was away at a conference – Lisa would be in charge of the school district if I were not here,” said Macero.

“The other part is that when we have certain guidelines that are given to us by the state in special education and we need to follow them, I wanted to make sure there was a chain of command – the principals will have to report to the assistant superintendent if there are any questions in regard to special education,” added Macero.

Macero said that Howard will not receive a pay increase from her current salary of $105,797.

Howard is a product of the Winthrop public schools, having graduated from Winthrop High in 1985. She is considered one Winthrop’s greatest softball players, having led the Vikings to a state championship in 1985. She went on to play four years of Division 1 softball as Boston College, winning an ECAC championship.

Howard said she was “thrilled”  about her new role and the opportunity to work with Macero in advancing the school system.

“I’m very invested in this community and school district and seeing it through to the end,” said Howard, who has worked in the school system as a special education teacher and administrator for 21 years. “John Macero is a tremendous addition to our schools and I think he’s going to create the stability that I’ve been looking for. Having somebody like John come in, who’s clearly articulated his investment in being here for awhile excites me because the two of us together are going to be a pretty strong duo in moving the district forward in our MCAS scores and creating an environment for kids that is supportive and engaging.”

Howard has an undergraduate degree from Boston College and licensed certifications in regular elementary education (grades 1-6), special education administration, assistant principal and principal (grades preK-6), and assistant superintendent and superintendent (all levels).  She also holds a Master’s degree in Administrative Education from Salem State University.

Howard and her husband David, varsity wrestling coach at Winthrop High and youth baseball leader, have four children, Christian, a special education major at Bridgewater State University, Ashlyn, a junior at Winthrop High, Gretchen, a seventh grader at Winthrop Middle School, and Declan, 4