LIVE: Committee Picks Lundsten to be Cranston's Next Superintendent

This article was created last night. Scroll down a little for comments from Lundsten after she was picked to be the new superintendent.

The School Committee is expected to appoint a new superintendent tonight. We're at Hope Highlands Elementary School covering the vote. Stay here to find out who the committee picks to lead Cranston Public Schools.

The committee will choose from three candidates who were publically interviewed last week. Each gave a detailed presentation and answered questions from the committee.

The candidates are:

• , acting superintendent and the assistant superintendent under outgoing school head Peter Nero.
• , superintendent of the Spencer East Brookfield Regional School District in Mass.
• , superintendent of schools in Foster.

Click on each name to read our profile on each candidate.

6:56 p.m.: The Committee is still in executive session. They should be out fairly soon. Not many people in the audience here tonight. 

7:09 p.m.: Meeting has begun. Lundsten is on the stage in her seat as acting superintendent, which is where she would be regardless if she was in the running for the superintendent job. 

School Committee Chairwoman Andrea Iannazzi notes that former Superintendent Peter Nero is in the audience. 

7:14p.m. Nero speaks during open comment period to recommend the committee appoint Lundsten as superintendent.

He gives sterling recommendation for his former second-in-command, praising her institutional knowledge and experience with the latest in educational theory and practice.

"If there was ever a right person at the right moment for this job, it's Judy," Nero said.

Nero said when he looks back over the last six years when he led Cranston schools, he can't believe what was accomplished to get it financially healthy. 

Lundsten had been through it all, from the dark abyss to blue skies, Nero said, and she "knows how to get down in the mud and roll around with the best of them."

Her resume is impressive, Nero said, but "it doesn't indicate what a beautiful, wonderful person she is to be around."

7:18 p.m.: The audience applauds for a group of new teachers who are joining the district this year. Their appointments are on the agenda.

7:20 p.m.: Steven Bloom makes a motion to appoint Lundsten as superintendent.

School Committee Member Frank Lombardi speaks — he said he wants to recognize the work of the search committee that conducted the superintendent search.

Lombardi said the work the subcommittee did was "no easy task."

Contrary to what some people think, this was a nationwide search. People from Asia applied for this job. They worked many hours to narrow the list to 20, then to 8, then to the 3 finalists. 

They worked many hours to whittle that 8 down to the 3 finalists and as far as the transparency and integrity of this board, Lombardi said everything was above the board. 

He goes on to say he will be voting for Lundsten. "I know what she's capable of and I know what she's capable of doing in the future."

Lombardi said one of the good things about the Nero administration wasn't that he was so great — it was that he surrounded by "the best and brightest."

He notes that he had the privilege of interviewing the three finalists in executive session and Lundsten was "head and shoulders above" the others. He said Namin didn't really give him anything and Irving, coming from 

"We do need someone who can hit the ground running," Lombardi said. "Judy is the only one who can do that."

7:27 p.m.: School Committee Member Stephanie Culhane remarked that she wasn't happy years ago when Nero was appointed because she felt there wasn't a broad, nationwide search. But in the end, she was happy with Nero's job and the administrative team he built. 

So it's interesting how things turned out this time, Culhane notes that there was an extensive national search and she feels Lundsten is the best candidate. 

She echos comments made by Lombardi that Irving had some good ideas but the committee felt she wasn't equipped for the scale and scope of Cranston. 

7:30 p.m. Member Paula McFarland - Lundsten outlined a plan and went through a series of outlines in presentation how she would expand on the school district, on developing action plans, and building capacity of staff.

7:32 Member Michael Traficante to Lundsten: "You shine 100 percent more than any other candidate that came before me."

"I'm a big fan of yours."

"I look forward to working with you over the next two years and I can say that because I'm running unopposed," to laughs.

7:33 p.m. Bloom notes the motion to appoint Lundsten was amended so there is the addition of a 90 to 100 day action plan which will tell us where we're going to be in 3 to 6 months. The provision is so we can measure the performance of the superintendent relative to a strategic plan and transparency, so the results how that plan is being implemented are actually occurring here in the district.

He said he was particularly impressed with Lundsten's performance during her public interview.

7:35 p.m.: Janice Ruggeri says continuity is important. 

The administration has a strong team, like a chain of link. When a link falls, another person is right there to step in. Lundsten's responses to the committee's questions were right in line with what the committee believes the vision of the next superintendent should be.

7:37 p.m.: Iannazzi said we ultimately have a candidate in Lundsten who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

"Dr. Lundsten has always been accountable" to parents, teachers, everyone in the community. 

Iannazzi notes that Lundsten will be appointed to the board of the YMCA because she reached out to that organization. That will benefit Cranston Public Schools. 

"These are great new innovative ideas that we all on the School Committee look forward to working with Dr. Lundsten on," Iannazzi said.

In all interactions with state education officials, it becomes clear that her reputation is top notch, Iannazzi said.

"You can take her at her word," she said. "Just like the former superintendent, trust is never a question with Dr. Lundsten."

7:40 p.m. The vote is unanimous. The new Superintendent of Schools in Cranston is Judith Lundsten.

Lundsten speaks. She says she is humbled and proud to be working with all the folks that make up the community.

"I know there are going to be times we agree to disagree, however if we all listen carefully to each other we can come up with the appropriate solution," Lundsten said.

"I will do my very best to move this school system forward."

Lundsten said she agrees with Bloom's amendment.

"There needs to be an action plan, a strategic plan," she said. "There needs to be transparency for all stakeholders and there needs to be an objective performance evaluation."

Lundsten said the superintendent is the "first teacher of the district, the first collaborator of the district, first advocate for children of the district and first learner."

Because of that, "the superintendent must be accountable also." 

Lundsten first came to Cranston more than 25 years ago as a part time teacher.

She said she could never have imagined she'd be standing here, one day, taking the reins of the entire district. Its new superintendent.