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New Portsmouth superintendent outlines priorities, staffing changes and cell‑phone policy rollout
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Viveres gave her first district update, listed new hires and resignations, announced provisional reallocation of deputy responsibilities and confirmed a full implementation year for the district cell‑phone policy as school year begins.
Superintendent Dr. Viveres used her first official school‑committee update Tuesday to detail staffing moves, early administrative changes and near‑term priorities as Portsmouth begins a new school year.
Dr. Viveres said her official start was Aug. 12 and described a rapid onboarding that included staffing reviews, grant oversight and capital project checks. “I hosted a community meet and greet last Friday... we had about 25 families that attended,” she said, adding that she will send a monthly superintendent memo to families.
Personnel changes announced included a long list of new hires across the district (examples cited by the superintendent included Christine Brown, district school psychologist; Tayla Costa, district speech pathologist; and multiple high‑school and elementary classroom hires) and a list of summer resignations (for example, Jasmine Palumbo, school psychologist at the middle school; Elizabeth Raducah, pre‑K teacher). The superintendent said all high‑school head coaching positions were filled in the spring but that openings remain for the middle‑school boys and girls head soccer coach and three assistant coach positions.
To maintain continuity while the district searches for a permanent deputy superintendent, Dr. Viveres described a provisional reallocation of deputy superintendent duties across existing staff. She named specific assignments: Dr. Jeff Heath will act in the superintendent’s stead when she is out of district and attend state meetings; Dr. Jay Masterson will oversee truancy and support school safety; Charity Shea will manage federal grants; Jody Neves and Danielle Laurie will oversee curriculum; Lisa Little will coordinate MLL services and student teaching placements; Paige Crowe and Claire will lead DoDEA grant work; Kim McGuire will serve as homeless liaison and oversee professional development approvals and educator evaluations; Heather Coopchandani will assist with student registration; and Mr. Rose will oversee district assessments.
On policy, the superintendent said the district will begin full implementation this year of its cell‑phone policy at the high school, with uniform phone holders purchased for classrooms to limit device use during instructional time. She referenced forthcoming state law that will take effect Aug. 1, 2026 requiring a more restrictive prohibition on physical access to personal electronic devices; the district said it will continue policy committee work to align local rules with that law.
Dr. Viveres also reported construction and facilities updates: the high‑school roof replacement is about 95 percent complete and interior repairs continue after exterior work; the Hathaway on‑site wastewater treatment project and playground addition are complete; and the middle‑school bathroom renovation was nearly finished, with fifth‑ and sixth‑grade bathrooms expected to be open by Sept. 5 and seventh‑ and eighth‑grade bathrooms requiring a few additional days.
Ending note: Dr. Viveres framed the early weeks as a time to build communication routines and to align district leaders and teachers on priorities. “This model represents a more distributive approach to leadership,” she told the committee as she outlined the reorganized responsibilities.
