Concord-Carlisle committee hires Shelly Chin as assistant superintendent for teaching and learning

The Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee voted Thursday to hire Shelly Chin as the district's assistant superintendent of teaching and learning after a series of public interviews with two finalists.

Chin, who has worked in the district this year in the role the committee has been filling on an interim basis, told the committee in her interview that "public education is the bedrock of our democracy" and emphasized collaborative leadership and equity in instruction. The decision was reached by a voice vote; the committee recorded the motion and the audible "ayes" but did not include a roll-call tally in the minutes.

Committee members said they weighed two qualified finalists during a process that included screening interviews, reference checks and public interviews. The other finalist, identified only as Anne, is the director of instruction for Everett Public Schools and described her record in Everett as focused on data-driven intervention and multi-tiered systems of support.

In the public interview portion, Chin described her priorities for the district as strengthening collaborative leadership across schools, pursuing rigorous, research-based curriculum, and supporting student well-being. "Equity is everybody getting what they need when they need it," Chin said, outlining how she would approach curriculum revision, technology use and professional development.

Members who supported Chin cited the continuity she offered after serving in the position this year and the work already under way in K'1 literacy and social-emotional learning. Several committee members said they were persuaded by Chin's ongoing role in implementing a review of K— reading programs and by her daily involvement with district teams.

Members who favored the Everett candidate highlighted that district's experience serving large numbers of English learners and persistently struggling students; committee discussion noted Everett had a large EL population and described the candidate's experience designing multi-year curriculum review cycles. The committee's discussion, however, favored internal continuity and the candidate already working with Concord-Carlisle staff.

The committee chair said the district will begin the formal onboarding process; a start date and contract details were not specified in the meeting record. The committee noted the hire followed an open hiring process that included a screening panel and finalist interviews in public sessions.

The committee also used the meeting to discuss broader instructional priorities, including a K— literacy adoption now entering implementation planning and a continuing focus on social-emotional supports and equity. Several members said the committee will continue to monitor implementation closely and expects the new assistant superintendent to lead rollout of curriculum and professional development efforts.

The vote to hire Chin was made by motion and voice vote during the meeting; the minutes record the motion, a second and the committee's vocal assent but do not list individual roll-call votes. Further personnel and contract details were not announced at the meeting.