Nota-Masse Named Cranston's New Superintendent in Unanimous Vote

The Cranston School Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted 6-0 to approve the appointment of Jeannine Nota-Masse as the district’s next superintendent effective July 1.

Committee member Daniel Wall did not attend the meeting.

Nota-Masse, who has been the district’s assistant superintendent since 2012, will replace outgoing Superintendent Judith Lundsten, who in January announced her retirement at the end of the school year.

School Committee members past and present, along with a number of Nota-Masse’s colleagues and even former Superintendent Peter Nero, Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung and Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael J. Winquist attended Tuesday night’s meeting to heap praise on Nota-Masse before the School Committee cast their votes.

Sean Kelly, principal of Cranston High School East, spoke eloquently about how Nota-Masse helped steer the district through a difficult year and highlighted numerous good things happening at his school thanks in part to her efforts.

Though the committee faced some criticism heading into the meeting because there was no search committee and the position wasn’t advertised, Nota-Masse’s appointment makes sense for a number of reasons.

For starters, the appointment without a search saves money. The district won’t have to pay to advertise the job, nor will any time be spent reviewing applications. It also ensures a smooth transition as Nota-Masse is already deeply involved in day-to-day school operations as the assistant superintendent.

The school committee is also legally entitled to make the appointment without conducting a search. And perhaps the district’s experience in 2012 had something to do with it. After conducting a nationwide search that included flying in two candidates for public interviews, the person who got the job was Lundsten, the then-assistant superintendent.

Photo: Gina Raimondo via Twitter.