Amherst welcomes two superintendents to district

By Mary Carey
Staff Writer

Published on July 04, 2008

It won't exactly be like the first day of school when Amherst residents Alton Sprague and Helen Vivian formally assume the post of joint interim superintendents on July 1.

Outgoing Superintendent Jere Hochman has given the husband-and-wife team a detailed to-do list, and they have been watching School Committee meetings and following school news for years.

"I cannot say we've watched every minute. We don't watch the reruns of reruns," Sprague said, "but we're very familiar with the workings of the town and the School Committee."

The School Committee appointed Sprague and Vivian earlier this month, after Hochman announced in mid-May that he was seeking, and then landed, the superintendent's post in Bedford, N.Y. Both have worked as superintendents in other districts and have shared the position in Lee and in the Union 29 district, which includes Wendell, New Salem, Erving, Shutesbury and Leverett.

The halls of the high school, which the pair visited last week, were not unfamiliar, and neither were some of the teachers.

"We're coming into this district feeling very good about being here. We feel like this is a really good place for kids to go to school. It certainly was for my kids," Vivian said.

"It was really fun to go into the high school and see some of the teachers that meant a lot to them when they were there."

Among the familiar teachers were the English department's Jane Baer-Leighton and music director David Ranen. "It was like touching base with old times."

The pair is planning a series of workshops to bring four new principals and others - including themselves - up to speed.

Sprague praised the "blueprints" Hochman has given them.

"We've gone into several districts and we've never gone into one where the future was so set up in terms of what needs to be done. It's impressive. The School Committee is very clear about the initiatives they have as top priorities."

Those include curriculum development, a new teacher evaluation and development model agreed upon in teachers' contract negotiations this year, and coaching and supporting the new administrators.

"We're really impressed with the caliber of the new hires and new assignments," Sprague said. "They're the real deal; they're sharp people."

Sprague and Vivian also plan to meet with local groups including the Amherst Club, where they will introduce themselves and listen.

"We'll do a lot of listening in the first few weeks," Sprague said. "We'll listen, listen, listen."

Mary Carey can be reached at mary.carey@att.net.