Will the New Bedford school supt. be leaving? Anderson is a finalist for a job in Newton.
NEW BEDFORD — The odds of New Bedford Public Schools needing a new leader to start the next school year may be 50/50, with Superintendent Thomas Anderson now one of two finalists vying to be Newton's next superintendent — a decision that should be made Friday, according to Newton school officials.
As indicated on Newton Public Schools' website, a third finalist, Peter Light, superintendent of Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, dropped out of the race shortly after finalists were announced, leaving Thomas and Natick Superintendent Anna Nolin.
"Our finalist interviews will occur the week of Feb. 13 and our selection and approval of the superintendent will occur on the morning of Feb. 17," said Newton School Committee Chair Tamika Olszewski at their meeting on Feb. 6, after finalists had been announced earlier that day.
Newton visit scheduled for Thursday
A timeline for the search process set by Newton school officials indicates Anderson was scheduled to visit Newton for school tours, staff meet-and-greets and a finalist interview on Thursday, following the same for Nolin whose visit was set for Wednesday.
As noted by Olszewski, interviews will be open to the public but recordings will be kept under wraps until both are completed "so we don't advantage or disadvantage any candidate based on the order of their interviews."
According to Newton's timeline, the district's new superintendent will assume the position July 1.
Anderson, whose application for the Newton position indicates four remaining years under his current contract, came from his former district of Randolph and replaced Dr. Pia Durkin as New Bedford superintendent in 2018.
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Pandemic a big part of Anderson's New Bedford tenure
Accomplishments while in New Bedford, as outlined in his Newton candidate materials, have included Congdon Elementary School being named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2020; the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Diploma program and Early College programming, both in 2022; an increase in students taking Advanced Placement courses; and, at 90%, the "highest ever" graduation rate for New Bedford High, in 2020.
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In his letter to the Newton School Committee, Anderson highlighted the educational challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic during his time in New Bedford.
"Like countless educational leaders, I had to pivot sharply at the pandemic’s outset. I employed both lessons learned, state and other data and information, and unique NBPS district circumstances to implement strategic operations that are highly flexible," he wrote, noting that in the 2020-2021 school year, New Bedford had 9,000 students learning in-person — the highest number in the state at the time — and another 4,000 in full remote learning. "This included the use of creativity in designing distance learning approaches across platforms that continue to be equitable for all students.
"My focus has been to provide and equitably balance the teaching and learning process with priorities for the physical and mental well-being of both staff and all students."
According to a report by WBSM, Anderson had informed New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, ex-officio chair of the School Committee, of his status as a Newton superintendent finalist over the weekend leading up to the Feb. 6 announcement.
Anderson did not respond to The Standard-Times' invitation to comment on his candidacy.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Thomas Anderson may be leaving New Bedford for a job in Newton.
