NORTHFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Regional School District School Committee voted Tuesday to offer the permanent superintendent job to current Interim Superintendent Patricia Kinsella after a search process that singled out three finalists for the role.
Committee members acknowledged that Kinsella had the advantage of spending several months in the district after being hired for the interim position in August 2021, and a majority of members came to the consensus that the search process illuminated her leadership traits.
“She’s at that point now where she’s going to take the ball and start running,” said School Committee member Stephanie Winslow. “I think she is doing an excellent job as an interim, when all we were looking for in August was someone to steer the ship.”
“I think we really have learned who she is,” committee member Michele Giarusso added. “She has put herself out there in many different ways and I appreciate that she still wants to be a superintendent for our district.”
Kinsella said she was “delighted” to be offered the position and agreed with the School Committee that the search process was mutually beneficial.
“Whenever there’s an opportunity to talk about what their dreams are and their concerns are,” Kinsella said by phone, “that always makes an administrator better informed and better able to do their jobs.”
With negotiations on a contract set to begin as soon as both parties are ready, Kinsella said she is looking forward to working on long-range planning for the district.
Beginning “facilitating conversations around long-term planning (and) long-term visioning,” were a few of the goals Kinsella highlighted. “What is the district we imagine for ourselves in the next five to 10 years?”
Kinsella was one of three finalists for the position, which included current Palmer Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Gardner and Athol-Royalston Regional School District’s Director of Intervention and Acceleration Cynthia Kennedy. Each candidate was asked 10 questions by the School Committee, with topics ranging from special education, helping kids recover from the stresses of the pandemic and commitment to the students of the district.
Kinsella used parts of her interview to reflect on her time with the district and to lay out her vision for the future. She noted this will involve taking a look at everyone’s “shared values” and how the schools can build around those values to inspire students and staff alike.
“We can’t ask perfection of ourselves, but we can ask to do better,” Kinsella said. “My hypothesis is that when we explore what might make school better for some kids, I am betting that might make school better for some adults.”
Addressing the pandemic, Kinsella said the district could provide additional services for students and families that are struggling, and that the continuation of her leadership could provide a “steady hand at the helm.”
“Some of our kids are not well, some of our staff are not well. This has been exhausting for everybody,” Kinsella said. “We can’t pretend that everything is OK. We need to provide more supports for our families.”
She said her extensive background — as both a bilingual teacher and as an assistant superintendent in other districts — can help Pioneer ensure all students are welcome while delivering valuable learning outcomes.
“I think that I could be the steady hand at the helm, who also invites our community to do some imagining that takes us outside the box,” Kinsella said. “I would welcome that journey; I would like to take that journey with you.”
The School Committee opted to take Kinsella on that journey as it voted 10-1 to offer her the job, with one abstention.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.