4 Hardy School Principal Finalists: Arlington Superintendent

ARLINGTON, MA — And then there were four; The Arlington Public Schools Search Committee for the Hardy Elementary School principal position named four finalists, the superintendent announced Tuesday.

The need for a new Hardy School principal came about when the district named Kristin DeFrancisco principal for the Gibbs School when it opens as a Sixth Grade School next school year.

All finalists are women, including three current assistant principals, one in Newton, another in Needham and a third in Somerville. One finalist is a current principal in Franklin.

“I am grateful for the dedicated work of the Search Committee, which has identified four very qualified and experienced candidates for this elementary leadership position,” said Superintendent Kathleen Bodie in an email press release.

Finalists will visit Hardy School over the next few weeks, and the district is inviting parents and the community to come check out the candidates on March 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hardy School Gym.

The finalists:

Tiffany Back, Assistant Principal of the Countryside Elementary School in Newton. She was
previously the Assistant Principal of the Bowen Elementary School in Newton. Back, who will visit Hardy School on February 28, is in her eleventh year of service in the Newton Public Schools. Her two assistant principal positions have been coupled with half-time teaching positions. She previously taught grades 2 and 5 in the Shrewsbury Public Schools.

Trelane Clark, Assistant Principal of the Newman Elementary School in Needham. Clark has been in her current position for two years. She will visit Hardy on March 8. She was an Academy Leader at the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in the Boston Public Schools for three years before taking her current position. From 2008 through 2013 she was the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at Parkside Christian Academy/Cross Factor Academy. She taught grades 1, 2 and 5 earlier in her career in both Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C. area.

Alli Franke, Assistant Principal of the Capuano Early Childhood Center in the Somerville Public Schools. Franke will visit Hardy on March 13. She was previously a Literacy Specialist in the Newton Public Schools and an Instructional Specialist for English Language Arts in the Marlborough Public Schools. Franke also worked for the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an Education Specialist in Reading and Language Arts. Earlier in her career, she taught Kindergarten and grade 2 in Boston and Los Angeles.

Kate Peretz, Principal of the Oak Street Elementary School in Franklin. Peretz, who will
visit Hardy on March 5, has held her current position since 2016. Previously she was an elementary school Assistant Principal in the Franklin Public Schools. From 1997 through 2014 she was a classroom teacher for grades 5 and 6 at the McCarthy-Towne Elementary School in the Acton Public Schools. She also served as the Coordinator of the Beginning Teacher Support Program for the Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools from 2008-2014.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch