Updated Feb. 25th
Jaime L. Curley, who was chosen as the Island’s next school superintendent after careful consideration and hours of deliberation by the All-Island School Committee, will face a host of daunting challenges on day one, from a proposed $300 million building project to fears of deportation by federal agents among the more than one-third of students who hail from immigrant families.
Coming to the Island from her role as assistant superintendent in the Old Rochester Regional School District in Plymouth County, Curley was selected last Thursday after the school committee completed an extensive process to replace former superintendent Richard (“Richie”) Smith after he announced his plans to retire this coming June.
Pending final contract negotiations, the start of which may start as soon as this week according to an upcoming school committee agenda, Curley is poised to become the first woman ever to fill the role.
Throughout a careful and long process, the school committee was, in the end, torn between two final candidates. It held an initial straw vote, which is an unofficial poll to gauge opinion, and it proved to be extremely close. In the final decision, four members abstained, and Curley was voted in by the other nine.
As the current assistant superintendent of student services in the Old Rochester Regional School District in Plymouth County, Curley has served in the leadership team that manages over 1,000 students across the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s and doctorate degrees in education. Much of her experience is in student services, special education, and school psychology.
As superintendent of Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools, Curley will oversee seven schools, teachers and school leadership, and a student population that is twice that of Old Rochester with over 2,100 students Islandwide.
“I like to be in the trenches with people,” she told the committee in the warmly lit library at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) on Thursday night. “I’m a hard worker, and I’m going to work really hard to make the Martha’s Vineyard school district the best school district.”
In her interview, Curley highlighted her intention to elevate people into leadership positions and focus on student needs. In Old Rochester, she oversees six different schools and four budgets.
“Aligning as many curriculums across the elementary schools, as much as possible, would be fantastic,” Curley said as she spoke to some regionalization efforts that are already being discussed on the Island.
The new superintendent will be jumping right into the Island educational landscape at a time of great change with profound challenges and extraordinary opportunities.
The process is underway for the most costly capital project the Vineyard community has ever seen through the renovation of MVRHS; federal legislation has impacted health insurance rates, state food stipends, and Massachusetts educational budgets; and consistent housing is a struggle for many locals, with families reportedly often moving between lower schools before attending the regional high school due to the seasonality of many rentals.
The Vineyard schools also have a high percentage of English language learners (ELL), mainly Brazilian students. Over one in three students in Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools speak a different first language than English. With U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity ramping up across the country and 20 arrests by agents on the Island last spring, students and their families who don’t have full citizenship status are vulnerable.
Almost a year ago to the day, seniors at the high school wrote about the daily anxiety and fears that ELL students were navigating due to federal legislation and the threat of ICE raids. And in other U.S. states this winter, school-goers as young as 5 years old were arrested by ICE agents, and federal forces frequently attempted to enter schools.
Talks of regionalizing curriculums for kindergarten through eighth grade have revved up this year, with a study recommending a more cohesive approach to learning across all seven schools. The new superintendent, as head of the Island’s public school system, will be at the forefront of those conversations going forward.
Each superintendent candidate — Curley, Elizabeth Legault, and Erik Cioffi — was interviewed for an hour. School committee members toggled between asking questions, tilting their heads as they listened in, and scribbling notes after each answer.
The All-Island School Committee was largely split between Curley and Legault. While the committee appreciated Cioffi and his interview, they honed in on the two others and ruled out Cioffi early on. They cited Cioffi’s easygoing nature as a positive, but didn’t feel it was well-suited to a complex school system like the Vineyard’s.
“This Island has one of the most complicated district setups in the state,” Alex Salop, chair of the search committee for the superintendent, said.
They pointed to the almost opposite qualities Curley and Legault brought to the table. Committee members said Curley is less experienced but has a willingness to learn, while Legault has over a decade of relevant experience but in more urban districts.
Legault also worked directly with the Massachusetts Building Authority and navigated a school building project in her own district, while Curley hasn’t had experience with one.
Through pros-and-cons lists and discussions, committee members narrowed their choices down, taking personality and experience into account. Their common ground was a desire for inspired action from the incoming superintendent, and the ability of a new leader to embrace the intricacies of the Island.
“What success looks like in this job is someone who can move us forward. And to me, forward means change,” committee member Rizwan Malik said in discussion about Legault. “With the complexity of our district … I want somebody who comes in here with their eyes open.”
When it came to Curley, they considered her lack of experience in a superintendent position as a possible strength. Skipper Manter, another committee member, spoke of Curley’s “adaptability” and her willingness to learn.
The committee said her strength in managing diverse groups, work she’s done with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and her student-focused approach made her the standout.
“She’s definitely worked in a system that is the closest to what we do,” committee member Chris Greene said of her experience in Old Rochester.
Eventually, their discourse led to a decision, and for the Island, a step toward a new chapter.
Editor’s note: This post was updated to reflect the changes made for the print edition of this article.