Dear Natick Community Members,
In March 2018, the Natick School Committee appointed me to the role of Interim Superintendent. As the district continues to move forward during this time of transition, I feel it is our duty to ensure that district business is conducted in least disruptive fashion. As such, with the support of the School Committee, I have determined that selecting a successive line of interim placements within vacant administrative leadership roles is the best decision, as the School Committee begins the search for a permanent superintendent. Once that person is named, permanent positions can be considered. To make permanent appointments at this time would not serve the new superintendent or the district as well as the following interim appointments. The interim appointments allow for the least disruption while allowing our strong leaders in waiting to try new leadership roles and expand their experiences while helping to stabilize the district. Next year may, then, involve formal searches for the role of superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal and possibly vice principal in the district.
To this end, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Kirk Downing, principal at Brown School, has been selected to lead the district as Interim Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Assessment for the 2018-2019 school year. Mr. Downing has been a public school educator since 1994. He served thirteen years as an educator in the Cherry Creek School District in Aurora, CO. And in 2007, after relocating, became the principal of Chickering School in Dover, Massachusetts. In 2010 he became principal of Brown School in Natick, Massachusetts where he developed a Response to Intervention (RtI) model that has proven to be highly successful.
Mr. Downing has presented his RtI design to principals around Massachusetts and he has been a featured speaker for the EDCO principal preparation program as well as a guest instructor in other courses on RtI best practices. In 2015 he became a certified practitioner in Collaborative Problem Solving through Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital. He used his knowledge of RtI and CPS to develop a whole school problem solving practice that addressed the academic, social, and emotional needs of his students. Kirk was a board Member of the state’s elementary principal association, Massachusetts Elementary School Principal Association (MESPA,) for seven years and served as president of the association in 2016-2017. Mr. Downing is also a certified mentor for the National Association for Elementary School Principals (NAESP). In his role as a mentor, he has worked with first year principals on developing highly effective systems and practices focused on helping students strengthen skills to solve problems. He holds certificates in Leadership and Blended Learning and in Assessment Leadership Academy through EdLeader21.
As Mr. Downing moves into this role in the Central Office, Mr. Ben Gatto, Assistant Principal at Bennett-Hemenway School, has been selected to lead the Brown School as the Interim Principal for the 2018-2019 school year. Mr. Gatto attended undergraduate at Ohio Wesleyan University and holds a Masters in Elementary Education from Wheelock College, and recently received a graduate certificate in School Climate and Social-Emotional Learning from William James College. Using this work, Mr. Gatto has designed and implemented enhancements to our social emotional curriculum K-4--including his own direct training of students through a series of assemblies and classroom follow up.
Mr. Gatto began teaching in Natick in 2000 at the Johnson School where he taught the first, third, and fourth grades. In 2009, Mr. Gatto moved to Ben-Hem to serve as the Assistant Principal for the 2009-2010 school year. As a former Brown School parent, Mr. Gatto has a personal understanding of the Brown community to bring into his capacity as interim school leader. In addition to his listed accomplishments, Mr. Gatto has routinely served as a Director at Linx Camps in Wellesley, which is one of the highest rated day camps in Massachusetts. A Brown parent himself for seven years, he has been active as a Brown community member.
Mr. Downing and Mr. Gatto's appointments will be effective on July 1st. Mr. Downing’s position will be formally introduced in open session of school committee on Monday, May 14, 2018 at our regular meeting. Until that time, Mr. Downing and Mr. Gatto will continue to serve in their current roles at their respective schools and we ask that you only contact them about topics relevant to their current positions until then. Please note that all Brown placement decisions will be made by Mr. Downing with his staff.
Staff at both Brown and Ben-Hem met with me today in anticipation of these changes and to hear from staff about their ideas, feedback, and possible concerns during this transition.
Moving forward, there are a few important dates for open meetings at Brown and Ben-Hem schools for families.
On May 17th at 6:00pm
, accompanied by Marianne Davis, Director of Human Resources, I will meet with Brown families to discuss short and long-term goals for Brown. This is an opportunity for the community to provide feedback about wants and needs in a school principal, in the event Mr. Downing is permanently appointed as the Assistant Superintendent.
On May 15th at 6:00pm
, accompanied by Marianne Davis, Director of Human Resources, I will meet with Ben-Hem families to discuss short and long-term goals for Ben-Hem. This is an opportunity for the community to provide feedback about wants and needs in an assistant principal, in the event Mr. Gatto is permanently appointed as the Brown principal.
It is a core value of the district administration to build leadership experience and strength from within. To this end, we provide professional development, mentoring, and shadowing for our leadership staff and aspiring leaders on a regular basis. We do this in order to ensure that the district has a strong pool of leaders to guide the district and withstand transitions such as the one we experience at this moment.
Thank you for your partnership in education and I look forward to continued success!
Sincerely,
