Holliston School Committee interviews Plainville superintendent finalist Jennifer Parson

Holliston — Dr. Jennifer Parson, the superintendent of the Plainville Public Schools, appeared before the Holliston School Committee on Jan. 29 as a finalist for the town’s superintendent position, answering questions about communication, equity, curriculum change and a possible high-school building project.

Parson framed communication as fundamental to trust-building, saying she tries to be "as authentic as I can" and that "I don't think it's possible to over-communicate." She told the committee she tries to manage message volume so families are informed but not overwhelmed and values in-person presence in schools to build relationships.

On equity and inclusion, Parson said a district’s core values must be operationalized. "All means all," she said, describing work to drill into subgroup data, convene student-study teams and run professional learning on culturally responsive instruction. She described running book studies and staff training and said she had renamed a role in a prior district to "Director of English Language Acquisition Equity and Access" to signal expanded responsibilities.

Parson cited specific intervention strategies she used in Plainville: bringing in a behavioral consultant (Jessica Minahan) for districtwide faculty sessions and targeted case consultations, and conducting "whole child review" meetings to link academic gaps to nonacademic needs. She said the district switched assessment systems to better measure growth and used local and DESE grant funding for chronic-absence programming.

When asked about curriculum change, Parson described shifting toward evidence-based reading practices and layering phonics instruction where needed. "We had to turn things around," she said of addressing gaps in reading and writing; she added that the district supplemented a new reading program with a writing curriculum, Think SRSD, and used teacher leaders and authentic student work to bring reluctant staff on board.

Parson recounted a high-pressure episode when two hotels in a neighboring town were used as emergency shelters for new arrivals. She described rapidly organizing registration, transportation and immunization intake, hiring a trilingual family liaison and working with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for additional support. "We pulled together a team," she said, and the experience, she told the committee, improved the district’s capacity to serve newcomers.

On social-emotional learning, Parson pointed to CASEL standards and elementary use of the Second Step curriculum, and described restorative practices and regional wellness partnerships (including Care Solace) to connect students and families with counseling supports.

Budget and facilities questions included the MSBA invitation for Holliston’s high school eligibility period. Parson said she has served on MSBA projects, described the extensive stakeholder meetings such projects demand and recounted managing a full renovation while the school remained occupied, including modular classrooms, weekly project-team coordination and close work with town officials and first responders.

Parson described her leadership style as "servant leadership," emphasizing humility, listening and building collaborative teams: "My job is to serve a community," she said. She argued strategic planning should be measurable and visible, and said she regularly reports progress on strategic-plan goals to the school committee.

The interview concluded with closing remarks from Parson praising student engagement during her visit. The committee then moved to adjourn; members voiced approval and the meeting ended.

What’s next: The School Committee conducted the finalist interview as part of its hiring process; the committee did not vote on an appointment at this session. The meeting ended after a voice motion to adjourn.