Concord School Superintendent Rath to Resign Next Year

Chris Rath, the superintendent of schools for the Concord School District, has submitted a letter of resignation to the Concord School Board today, effective at the end of her current contract, in June 2015.

In the letter (full text below), Rath said it was an “honor” to work in Concord and “grow with the district and community” and was “a gift I will treasure forever.”

Rath has worked in education for more than 45 years and much of that time, nearly 40 years, has been in Concord. She was named New Hampshire’s Superintendent of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year, a year that unveiled three new elementary schools for the city and lawsuits involving the resignation of a beloved teacher in the community, Barbara Higgins, who is now a school board member.

In a press statement, Concord School Board President Clint Cogswell said the board would be discussing the search process for a new superintendent in the coming weeks.

The full resignation letter is below:

Dear Clint,

Twenty‐nine years ago today, I was “breaking in” as a new principal at Rundlett Junior High School under the patient tutelage of Assistant Superintendent Bob Silva. That year, 1985, saw Ronald Reagan sworn in for a second term as President of the United States, Michael Jordan named Rookie of the Year, and Christa McAuliffe selected as the first school teacher to go into space.

In these 29 years, a lot has changed. Concord High School is now a four‐year high school and Rundlett Junior High School is Rundlett Middle School. We have three new elementary schools with cutting‐edge facilities. We have commons, clusters and consolidation; competencies, data retreats, and curriculum institutes.

While our buildings and systems have changed with the times, what has not changed in these 29 years is the strength of our community and the people in it. None of these changes would have been possible without visionary and courageous School Board members and the many talented and dedicated educators and support staff in and around our schools.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve this community in a number of different capacities – as a principal, a district leader and for the past 14 year as Superintendent of Schools, as a community member and as a parent and the beneficiary of the best that Concord has to offer. I have loved each job, and the honor Concord has given me by allowing me to learn and grow with the district and community is a gift I will treasure forever. Now it is time to conclude this phase of my career. With your approval, I will conclude my service as your Superintendent of Schools on June 30, 2015.

In the meantime, we still have much to accomplish in the coming year. My hopes are that we will reach a fair settlement with each of the labor groups with whom we will negotiate successor agreements this year, maintaining the respectful and positive process the Board has established in recent years. We will continue to work cooperatively with the teachers’ association to put a new evaluation system in place.

We will continue to upgrade our technology infrastructure and put the policies and procedures in place that enable our staff and students to be skillful users of technology as tools for learning. We will continue to focus our improvement on district improvement goals – ensuring access for all children and achieving better coordination of instruction.

We will expand our new writing curriculum to grade six and integrate new math units to align with the Common Core State Standards. We will continue to refine our use of assessments and to use the results of those assessments to make thoughtful changes to our instructional practices and programs. We will prepare for the first administration of the Smarter Balanced Assessment this spring.

I also assure you that I will do whatever I can to help make a smooth transition in the Superintendency. The individual the School Board chooses to be the next Superintendent of Schools for Concord will enjoy the support of an extraordinary district leadership team.

I thank you, Clint, for your personal guidance, support and friendship for these 29 years. I look forward to seeing the district continue to flourish under your leadership.

Sincerely,

Christine C. Rath

What do you think about this resignation announcement? What kind of process should the Concord School Board undertake to find a new superintendent? Leave a comment in the space below and let’s begin a community conversation about the future of our public school system.