From Daniel Alfred, Holliston School Committee Chair

Dear Holliston Community: 

We are writing to provide an update on the School Committee’s action plan for a path forward.  We believe that this four-point plan demonstrates our commitment to communicating with the district as we endeavor to rebuild trust and to improve the working relationships among the school administration, the Holliston Federation of Teachers (HFT), and the Holliston School Committee (HSC).  We are also corresponding with the HFT to try and gather more information about the specific claims that were discussed in the “no confidence” vote announcement. We realize that these are just initial steps and that much work remains to be done to ensure that Holliston Public Schools (HPS) continues to be an excellent school district.  Specifically, our plan includes the following:

1. Community Forum: The School Committee will host a community forum with central office and building administrators on Tuesday, June 20^th from 7-9 p.m. in the HHS Library.  We would like to invite all parents/guardians, teachers, staff, and HPS community members to attend.  We would respectfully request you submit your question(s) 48 hours in advance so that we can identify similar topics/questions and use the forum to respond to as many questions as possible.  Advanced submission will also allow those who cannot attend in person to have their question answered.  While we will take additional questions, time permitting, priority will be given to those submitted in advance. Please send emails to alfredd@hsc.holliston.k12.ma.us
2. Mediation: We have sent the HFT leadership another offer of mediation between them and the administration using an experienced, independent third-party mediator recommended by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC).
3. Mentor:  At Dr. Kustka’s request and the School Committee’s encouragement, we have hired Dr. Jim Marini to provide mentorship and coaching for Dr. Kustka to guide her in addressing areas of growth.  We view this as a commitment to supporting Dr. Kustka in her role as Superintendent of Holliston Public Schools.  Dr. Marini is an incredibly respected educator and administrator.  Subsequent to his retirement as the superintendent of the Winchester Public Schools, he coached over 20 new and experienced superintendents and was also called back three times on an interim basis to run school districts (North Andover, Newton and Brookline).  Dr. Marini worked as a Superintendent Induction Coach with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents & Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for eight years.
4. FAQ: Prior to the forum, we will provide a list of answers to frequently asked questions, which will hopefully begin to address many of the concerns that have been raised by community members over the past several months. 

Finally, we are working to improve communication with HFT leadership and our incredible educators.  We are working to set up meetings, discussions and hopefully mediation.  We are committed to continuing to build a school district where staff and students are able to fulfill their goals, becoming stronger teachers and learners in their lifelong educational journeys. While there are disagreements about certain issues to be discussed, we remain confident that all HPS staff and administrators are united in their dedication to pursuing excellence in the education of our children.  We believe that this four-point plan gets us moving in the right direction.

Sincerely,

The Holliston School Committee