In a press release sent to local media, the Nashoba Regional School District announced that Superintendent Brooke Clenchy has tendered her resignation, effective at the end of this school year. Also included was the resignation letter sent to the School Committee by Clenchy.
Both are posted below:
Nashoba Regional School Committee Accepts Resignation of Superintendent Brooke Clenchy
Chairperson Praises Superintendent as “a transformational leader”
BOLTON, Mass. (Feb. 3, 2021) – The Nashoba Regional School Committee voted to accept Nashoba Regional School District Superintendent Brooke Clenchy’s resignation, which was provided pursuant to Section9 of her employment contract. In accordance with that contract, her resignation is scheduled to take effect at the end of the current academic year. During her nearly five-year tenure leading the district, Clenchy made critical investments in district facilities and infrastructure, spearheaded an effort to replace or overhaul the Nashoba Regional High School building, implemented free full-day kindergarten, and enhanced professional development initiatives for staff.
She has also overseen the district’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including remote learning initiatives to ensure the continuity of educational services during the public health crisis.“Superintendent Clenchy has been a transformational leader whose work has led to meaningful improvements to learning, district operations and the physical environment for our students and staff,” said Kathy Codianne, School Committee Chairperson. “While we are disappointed to lose a leader with such energy and passion, we appreciate Brooke’s years of dedication and service to the students and families of Bolton, Lancaster and Stow,and her commitment to our mission to educate all students to their fullest potential in a safe, caring environment so that they may become critical, creative, reflective thinkers and positive contributors to the global community.”
The Nashoba Regional School Committee is expected to initiate a professional search for Clenchy’s replacement and will be discussing that at its Feb. 10 meeting. Clenchy was appointed superintendent of the Nashoba Regional School District in August 2016, after serving as Senior Associate Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and previously as superintendent in the Ashland and Winchendon school districts.
“I am so grateful to the outstanding employees across the district, including principals and assistant principals,teachers, librarians, aides, administrative staff, custodians and so many others,” wrote Clenchy in her resignation letter. “It takes a village, as the saying goes, and what a wonderful village we have in NRSD.”
A copy of Clenchy’s letter of resignation is below:
Dear Chairperson Codianne,
With a strong sense of accomplishment of the work that my team and I have done in collaboration with the School Committee, I submit my resignation as Superintendent of the Nashoba Regional School District effective at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
I began in this role five years ago, when things in the District were somewhat unsettled and many issues loomed over its future. In that time, with the support of the School Committee, my team and I have been able to create tremendous stability, even as theCOVID-19 pandemic over the last eleven months has threatened the health and economic security of residents across the District’s three communities.
We will get through this pandemic with the knowledge that our students have received the benefit of a comprehensive education, even while learning has been remote for some of these students. It has taught us that we can leverage technology to deliver education that is comparable to in-person learning.
Here are the accomplishments over the last five years about which I am proudest.
1. Implementation of full-day kindergarten across the district – This was a long-sought priority for parents and it required the alignment of major financial and logistical resources. I am so glad that it could happen during my tenure.
2. Major new investments in professional development – We created District Improvement Plans to further professionalize and formalize our educator professional development program. We have brought in highly acclaimed national and international speakers. This ensures that our teachers have access to the latest tools and techniques to educate our students.
3. Improved fiscal performance – The state of budgeting, auditing, financial controls and Information Technology (IT)infrastructure needed improvement when I arrived in the District. Through the concerted efforts of my team, we created new procedures and protocols for financial reporting in every department. The budgeting process was reformed and major new investments were made in IT infrastructure and other core systems.
4. Buildings for the next generation – We have made great progress in updating facilities, including improving maintenance and establishing facility plans. A new or dramatically upgraded Nashoba Regional High School will be the capstone of these efforts. Our application is moving through the Massachusetts School Building Authority funding process.
There is never an easy time to leave a job. The time, however, feels right to explore the next chapter of my professional career. I believe I am leaving the District in a strong and healthy position, which should be the goal of any superintendent. I am so grateful to the outstanding employees across the district, including principals and assistant principals, teachers, librarians, aides, administrative staff, custodians and so many others.
It takes a village, as the saying goes, and what a wonderful village we have in NRSD. I wanted to be sure that the School Committee had as much time as possible to make plans for the next school year. I thank you and your colleagues for the support that you have provided me over the last five years. It is clear that the District’s students always come first in your minds and your actions.
Sincerely,
Brooke Clenchy, Superintendent