School Superintendent Presents Midyear Self-evaluation. Shannon Bernacchia Appointed School Finance Director

Report on the Meeting of the Regional School Committee, April 8, 2025

This meeting was held in a hybrid form and was recorded. The meeting began with the committee going into executive session. The public meeting begins at 1 hour 13 minutes into the recording.

School Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi) gave a detailed presentation of her progress toward achieving four major goals and her plans for key next steps. At the outset, she stated that she has not spent as much time as she was accustomed on instructional leadership, and that is a big goal for her in the future. She also stressed her commitment to reflective leadership and improving communication with staff and families. She said that student safety and well-being come first for her, and that if she is slow to respond to communications from staff, it is because she prioritizes communications from families among the hundreds of emails she receives every day. She has notified staff and school committee members that if they have an urgent matter, they should text her to let her know that there is a matter that needs to be dealt with immediately.

Her four major goals are to develop and present a District Improvement Plan; to enhance district efficiency, data management, and equity; to heal and stabilize the district while rebuilding trust through community engagement; and to establish a strong professional culture aligned with core values and equity. 

Dr. Xi stated that audits of every division, including human resources and the business office are complete. The audits have uncovered inefficiencies that led to some restructuring of positions. She hopes to employ an integrated software system in the next year that can track student achievement to monitor and address disparities in student outcomes and ensure that all students have equitable access to resources and opportunities.

She has launched weekly communications for families and plans to make them available in several languages. She also holds monthly “listening lounges” for parents where various topics are discussed. There was one session on transportation, and the next one is on chronic absenteeism.  She has also instituted regular meetings with school principals, although in the future she plans to hold these meetings in the schools rather than in the district office. 

The self-evaluation ended with Dr. Xi’s reflections about how she plans to achieve her stated goals. First and foremost, she said, is strategic planning for the next school year.

Another area for improvement, she said, is professional development and onboarding of new staff. She noted that there were gaps in her own onboarding process that impacted her readiness to perform her job. She continues to explore the literature on “rebuilding or shifting cultures and having very difficult conversations” and continues to work with her mentor from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). She said that some of the feedback she received from the community was that it feels more like a group of isolated schools than a district in terms of the level of consistency and cohesion, but, she said, the principals do work together and have conversations about issues and instruction.

Another area she cited in need of improvement is in her time management. She hopes that clearer role delineation of the administrative roles will lead to others handling some issues. She said that some parents come straight to her with concerns before they approach the principal of their child’s school. “I’m only one person,” she said, and sometimes she has to rearrange her calendar because of an emergency. She did say she will try to make herself more on time by shifting workflows and making clear which person is in charge of issues. 

The final two areas for improvement she cited were rebuilding relationships with staff, families, and community partners through transparent communication to heal past fractures and increasing the time she spends on instructional leadership with principals and staff to assure the quality of learning across all buildings. Dr Xi stated that she wants to improve conflict resolution. She wants to approach every employee issue with asking “how did we get here, and what could we have done differently?” We need to talk about root causes and strategies for clearer communication, she said.

Dr Xi ended by saying, “I don’t believe in micromanaging. I have to trust that the right individuals are there to get the job done and represent and move the district. I have to trust that principals are going to do what’s in the best interest of their schools and make sure that students are safe and parents are safe. The role of the superintendent is about facilitating, monitoring, and supporting.”

Shannon Bernacchia Appointed School Finance Director
The committee unanimously approved the appointment of Shannon Bernacchia as Finance Director for the schools. Bernacchia, who has worked for the school district since 2019, has been serving as the interim Finance Director since the departure of Doug Slaughter in November.

In supporting Bernacchia’s appointment, Dr Xi praised her saying, “I could not be even one-twentieth of the superintendent that I am in this district if it was not for Shannon Bernacchia. I know for a fact that this young lady is not afraid to push back and to express her concern and to fight diligently for this district. As a leader, you want someone that’s not going to be just a yes person, but a person that’s going to bring the evidence, that’s willing to tell you no, and is willing to expand your thinking to understand that through innovation, things can be different.”

She pointed out that although Bernacchia works remotely, she is responsive and timely and has been as productive as the individuals who are in the office, and that she has strong relationships with the others in the business office.

In expressing her gratitude for her permanent appointment, Bernacchia said, “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Xi and to the individuals within the business office. I want to assure you that I am fully committed to transparency, accountability, and an environment where financial decisions are made with the best interests of our students. I am also a mother of three, so I think it hits a little harder, particularly during these really dire and stressful times as I step into this role. I am really excited, but I know there are going to be challenges ahead.”

Superintendent’s Update
Dr. Xi gave a brief summary of recent events at the schools. The staff has been undergoing training in the Welcoming Schools program focused on bias-based bullying prevention. She said teachers are continually learning how to celebrate all families, build inclusive schools, and support every student. Key components of the most recent training included understanding bias-based bullying, proactive bulling prevention, supporting LGBTQ+ and non-binary students, and engaging families and communities. 

In other news, 10 high school students were accepted into the all-state orchestra festival, the highest number in several years. 

The high school has begun preparations for graduation. 

Spring athletics have started, but several events were canceled due to the recent icy rain. Dr. Xi said she is still learning about Massachusetts weather. 

She closed her presentation with a quote from Liberty Hyde Bailey, “A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.”