Assistant superintendent from Coventry pitches community-centered budgeting and staffing solutions in Uxbridge interview

Amy Anzalone, assistant superintendent in Coventry, Rhode Island, presented her candidacy to the Uxbridge School Committee and laid out priorities for an incoming superintendent: early, transparent budget analysis; joint onboarding with a finance director; community outreach; and strategies to recruit and retain staff.

Anzalone described a past Coventry reconfiguration plan that was paused after strong community pushback; the district later reconvened a broader committee and re-scoped needs to focus on critical infrastructure (wells, septic, roofs) rather than ’shiny’ projects. She said the reconfiguration work was expected to save roughly $2,000,000 in a budget she discussed in the context of an approximately $84,000,000 district budget.

Why it matters: Anzalone stressed operational readiness—finding a finance director, understanding procurement and transportation logistics, and ensuring safety plans are in place—before the school year opens. She described a Medicaid-recovery effort in Coventry that had increased reimbursements by about $500,000 year-to-date and anticipated an additional $600,000–$700,000 by year’s end. She also outlined a bargaining practice that sets proposal limits, uses small negotiating teams plus larger consulting groups, and seeks early tentative agreements to build momentum.

On student supports, Anzalone flagged mental health and social-media impacts as urgent priorities and suggested education for families (for example, state-police presentations on online trends), partnerships with local colleges to build teacher pipelines, and robust induction programs to improve teacher retention.

The committee did not take a hiring vote at the session; after both interviews the meeting concluded with an adjournment voice vote.