[Apshpe] Susan Nicholson becomes permanent Assistant Superintendent

Wed Jan 23 10:32:39 EST 2008

Andover Public Schools

36R Bartlet Street

Andover, MA  01810

(987) 623-8501

FAX (978) 623-8505

SCHOOL COMMITTEE
CLAUDIA L. BACH, Ed.D.

Arthur H. Barber, Ed.D., Chairman
Superintendent of Schools

Debra Rahmin Silberstein, Esq., Secretary
cbach at aps1.net

Richard J. Collins

Anthony James, Ph.D.

David S. Samuels, DMD

January 23, 2008

Dear Members of the Andover School Community,

With much enthusiasm I write to announce that the School Committee voted
to approve my recommendation that Ms. Susan Nicholson become our
permanent Assistant Superintendent.  She will assume this position on
July 1, 2008.  

Susan Nicholson has served as the Interim Assistant Superintendent since
July 1, 2007, after Dr. Marcia O'Neil announced her resignation to
become Superintendent of Schools in Manchester Essex.  At the time Ms.
Nicholson accepted the Interim Assistant Superintendent position, the
School Committee and I told her that we would be conducting a national
search mid-year for a permanent Assistant Superintendent.  She
understood that the job was temporary.  We were grateful to Ms.
Nicholson that she was willing to accept the job under these terms.

Not only was there no certainty of long-term employment for Ms.
Nicholson, the job is exceedingly demanding in its scope and complexity.
(Years ago, in fact, this position was held by two people.)  The
Assistant Superintendent has the responsibility for four major programs:
curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development.
Within each of these programs there are many projects and initiatives.
In addition, the Assistant Superintendent supervises the Director of
Physical Education, Director of Health, and our Grants Coordinator.  She
must meet regularly with the principals, learning specialists and
reading specialists, as well as each of the curriculum councils and the
Professional Development Commission.  She must report regularly to both
the Superintendent and the School Committee.  She must meet weekly with
central office administrators and from those meetings take on additional
work.

Ms. Nicholson took on the job with great enthusiasm and energy.  I asked
her to "hit the ground listening" which she did and her reports back on
what she saw and heard have been most helpful and will influence our
decisions in the future.  She also hit the ground running.  Some of her
accomplishments include:  1) managing the implementation of the Middle
School Math Plan, 2) overseeing a detailed MCAS analysis, 3) developing
the professional development for elementary staff for the early release
days, 4) conducting an evaluation of the Curriculum Councils, 5)
updating the five-year curriculum cycles, and 6) reviewing the textbook
adoption 

Page Two

January 23, 2008

protocols.  She also worked closely with our Grants Coordinator who has
been involved in the Expanded Learning Time feasibility grant for 6 of
our schools and has been at work on a number of new grants.  

Given her outstanding performance to date, I recommended to the School
Committee that the district not engage in a full scale search for a
permanent Assistant Superintendent; instead that the School Committee
appoint Ms. Nicholson to the position.  I am pleased to report to you
that the School Committee accepted my recommendation unanimously.

Ms. Nicholson comes to the position from a long and successful career in
public education here in the Merrimack Valley.  Before her current
position in Andover, she was Principal of North Andover High School for
8 years.  As principal she oversaw the building of the new high school,
led a Visions Initiative that involved preK-12 staff, parents and
community in discussing the future direction of North Andover High
School, prepared the school for its NEASC Accreditation, led in the
development of an honors program for 9th grade, was on the Curriculum
Steering Committee for preK-12 grades, and was a member of the District
Supervision and Evaluation Committee.  Before serving as Principal she
was the Assistant Principal at North Andover High School for two years.
For 18 years she taught high school courses in marketing & technology,
business & math at Lowell High School, Methuen High School and Lawrence
High School.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Education
from Salem State College and her M.Ed. in Secondary School
Administration at Northeastern University.  Currently, she is pursuing
her doctorate at UMASS Lowell, and expects to get her degree this
summer.

As I stated to the School Committee on Tuesday, Ms. Nicholson has made
outstanding progress as Interim Assistant Superintendent in just six
months.  She has transitioned almost seamlessly from high school
principal to assistant superintendent.  She quickly understood what her
job entailed and set about making solid progress on all fronts.  She
also understands that the job is, at its core, all about people.  She
knows how to work with people to reach consensus, how to make people
feel valued, and how to instill in people a sense of accountability and
professionalism.  In this short time, she has demonstrated that she
works well with staff, with teachers, fellow administrators, the School
Committee and the community.  She is an excellent people person.

I am confident that Ms. Susan Nicholson will be an outstanding Assistant
Superintendent for the Andover Public Schools.  With her highly
successful experience in previous positions and now as our Assistant
Superintendent, I know she will continue the exemplary programs now
underway and she will take this district to the next level in all the
areas under her responsibility.  With her energy, her skills and
knowledge, and her excellent relationship with staff, parents, and
community, she will enable this district to continue to grow and
improve.  Please join me in welcoming to Andover Ms. Susan Nicholson,
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and
Professional Development.

Sincerely,

Claudia L. Bach, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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