February 17, 2023

[Newton, MA] - The Newton School Committee voted on Friday morning to select Dr. Anna Nolin as the next Superintendent of the Newton Public Schools. Dr. Nolin comes to Newton from the Natick Public Schools where she currently serves as superintendent. Dr. Nolin was selected by a unanimous vote of the School Committee, who emphasized her commitment to data-driven outcomes for students, collaboration with families and community partners, and serving as the lead teacher of a learning organization. The Newton School Committee will approve the appointment of Dr. Nolin, conditional on successful contract negotiations and acceptable background check. 

“We are thrilled to invite Dr. Nolin to join the Newton Public Schools as our next superintendent. Her values as a data-driven leader focused on improving outcomes for all students align perfectly with the mission of the Newton Public Schools,” said Tamika Olszewski, Chair of the Newton School Committee. “We deeply appreciate her commitment to developing a strategic vision for our district that articulates the strength and skills we want for both our staff and our students.”

Dr. Nolin has spent nearly 20 years in the Natick Public Schools, first serving as assistant principal and principal of Wilson Middle School and then assuming the position  of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. She has served in the role of superintendent since 2018. In addition, she is an experienced graduate instructor in educational leadership and instructional leadership, serving in the doctoral program collaboration between the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and Boston College. She is currently the president of the New England's Superintendents' Association representing superintendents from MA, ME, NH, RI, VT and CT.

Dr. Nolin impressed the School Committee with her collaborative approach to working with union leadership, welcoming diverse perspectives and viewpoints, and personalizing learning for all students. Feedback from the community and staff noted Dr. Nolin’s strong history of implementing social emotional supports and programs for students to address mental health needs. 

The search for Newton’s next Superintendent of Schools began in fall 2022 and was led by a search committee composed of a diverse group of Newton stakeholders. Using feedback from community surveys and focus groups, the committee developed a leadership profile and identified desired characteristics for the next district leader. In January, the search committee reviewed applications, interviewed semi-finalists, and recommended three candidates to move to the final stage of the selection process. One candidate withdrew, while two finalists spent a full day in the district meeting with administrators, staff, community members, and the Newton School Committee. Feedback from the visits was collected and reviewed by the committee prior to their final selection. More details on the search process, including documents and timelines, can be found on this district webpage:

Newton Superintendent Search Process

Dr. Nolin is expected to assume leadership of the Newton Public Schools July 1, 2023, conditional on successful contract negotiations. The district is currently under the leadership of Interim Superintendent Dr. Kathy Smith after Dr. David Fleishman left the district last summer following a 12 year tenure.

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Candidates visited the district the week of February 13, 2023, to meet with administrators, educators, and staff, and to visit some schools. Each candidate participated in a virtual community forum in the early evening and ended their day interviewing with the Newton School Committee. 

Below are recordings of both the community forums and the School Committee interviews of the candidates.

Community Forum with Anna Nolin - February 15 

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AE4Qr93pUm-FwmXVar_5q33TfmtolyZz/view?usp=share_link)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                
February 6, 2023                        

Media Contact: 

Tamika Olszewski    
School Committee Chair
[email protected]

Newton Public Schools Announces Superintendent Finalists
Search Committee Recommends Three Finalists for Consideration

[Newton, MA] - The Newton Superintendent Search Committee is pleased to announce that three candidates have been recommended for further consideration by the Newton School Committee in the search for a permanent superintendent for the Newton Public School district. 

On February 4, 2023, the appointed Newton Superintendent Search Committee interviewed an impressive slate of seven candidates who had been selected from an initial screening process conducted in late January. After thorough discussion and review, the search committee voted to recommend three candidates for further consideration by the Newton School Committee. The candidates selected as finalists, listed in alphabetical order, include:  

• Thomas Anderson, Superintendent, New Bedford Public Schools
• Peter Light, Superintendent, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
• Anna Nolin, Superintendent, Natick Public Schools

Short summaries of the candidates are below. Full resumes and background information can be found in this folder:

Newton Superintendent Finalist Resumes and Background Information

The week of February 13 (schedule below) finalists will be visiting Newton for in-person tours, staff meet-and-greets, and a virtual community forum. In the evening, the Newton School Committee will conduct public, in-person interviews. Dates and timelines are forthcoming and will be posted on the search webpage. Newton educators, staff, families, and community members will be invited to provide feedback on each candidate. 

Candidate Visit/Interview Schedule

• Monday, February 13, 2023 - Superintendent Peter Light
• Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - Superintendent Anna Nolin
• Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Superintendent Thomas Anderson

“On behalf of the Newton School Committee, I would like to thank the members of the search committee for the many hours they have devoted to reviewing community feedback, creating the profile of the desired candidate, participating in the initial screening process, and interviewing the semi-finalist candidates,”  said Tamika Olszewski, Newton School Committee chair and co-chair of the Newton Superintendent Search Committee. “The search committee, with its diversity of perspective, background, and experience, has put forth excellent candidates for the full Newton School Committee to consider in this final phase of the search for a leader of our outstanding school district. We deeply appreciate their commitment to a thorough and meaningful process.”

The Newton superintendent search process, which has been led by a search committee composed of parents, educators, administrators, community members, administrators and School Committee members, has been ongoing since the fall. The committee sought and received important feedback from families and the community about the qualities important for the next leader of the district. Details on the process and the feedback received can be found here:

Newton Superintendent Search Process

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Candidate Bios (short)
Thomas Anderson, Superintendent, New Bedford Public Schools
Mr. Anderson is the current superintendent of the New Bedford School District where he
oversees the operation of 25 schools with an enrollment of 13,000 students, and a $215M budget. Prior to joining New Bedford, he served as the superintendent of the Randolph, MA School District and in Washington D.C. as an Assistant Superintendent. He serves as co-chair of the Urban Superintendents’ Association and as an active member of the legislative committee for the Massachusetts School Superintendents’ Association.

Peter Light, Superintendent, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
Mr. Light currently serves as the Superintendent of Acton-Boxborough Public Schools, where he has served for approximately five years and an enrollment of 5K students. He is responsible for a 102.9M budget, and collaborated with the community and school leaders to open one of the Commonwealth’s first Triple Net Zero elementary schools. Prior to this role, he served as the Assistant Superintendent of Franklin Public Schools.

Anna Nolin, Superintendent, Natick Public Schools
Dr. Nolin is the current Superintendent of Natick Public Schools, where she oversees the operations of a school division consisting of approximately 5,300 students and an 83M budget. Prior to the Natick Superintendency, she served as Natick’s Interim Superintendent and as the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. In addition to being an experienced graduate instructor in educational leadership and instructional leadership, Dr. Nolin is an instructor in the doctoral program collaboration between the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and Boston College and is president of the New England's Superintendents' Association representing superintendents from MA, ME, NH, RI, VT and CT.

Please contact the Newton School Committee with any additional questions or comments.

Please visit all the subpages for detailed information. 

• Survey and Focus Groups (November 2022)
• Meetings
• Timeline
• Superintendent Search Committee

The Newton School Committee has contracted with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to provide consulting services for the superintendent search. Please visit the HYA website for details on the firm and its services.