By Kate Anslinger
Interim Superintendent of Schools Lisa Howard has been busy prepping for her first year managing the Winthrop Public School District. On a mission to immerse herself in the school system, Howard has been busy meeting with each and every teacher in the district, as well as key stakeholders in the community. She has conducted thorough interviews with the teachers, making it her priority to get to know them better by asking them questions about their roles in the district.
“I’ve been doing a lot of listening and learning about the last four years,†said Howard, who made it a point to recognize the teachers’ expectations.
Howard has made it clear that she has several goals that she wants to accomplish as the interim superintendent and these goals are currently being reviewed by the committee to ensure everyone’s intentions are aligned accordingly.
One of those goals involves working on a vision and public improvement plan for the district. She has made it a priority to get more people involved in community activities and she is working on a plan to reach out to families to find out what they need from the school system. One of those ideas is to start a “New Family to Winthrop†program, where newcomers have a place to go for valuable information.
One of the challenges for this school year will be overseeing the development of Miller Field. Howard has met with Athletic Director, Matt Serino; Town Facilities Manager, Rich Cifuni, and DPW Director Steve Calla to discuss different options for oversight, and she plans on reaching out to communities who have recently gone through similar projects, like Revere.
“It makes sense to see what other folks did, so we can be 10 steps ahead,†said Howard, who is proud of the beautiful development going on. The field is still on track to be open on Thanksgiving Day.