After nearly a year in an interim capacity, the Belmont School District has hired Lucia Sullivan as the district’s assistant superintendent.
A Belmont resident and parent in the district, Sullivan has served as the interim assistant superintendent since July 2023. Before that, she served as an interim principal in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, according to a message she wrote to district families that summer. She has experience as a principal and superintendent in Northern California and as a curriculum coordinator and teacher in Newton for more than 15 years.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to officially serve in the role of assistant superintendent for the Belmont Public Schools,” Sullivan said in a statement to The Voice. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to work in the community where I live.”
The School Committee unanimously approved the appointment on Feb. 20, following public interviews in January. A second candidate, Tricia Clifford, assistant superintendent in Bedford, was also interviewed.
“Thank you to the committee for approving this,” Superintendent Dr. Jill Geiser told committee members following the meeting. “Lucia brings a lot to the table and a lot of really excellent experience she’ll be able to apply here in Belmont.”
In an email to families, Geiser explained the process began with a screening committee, followed by one-on-one interviews with Geiser. From there, the two finalists interviewed with the school committee.
Geiser noted Sullivan has taken the lead in overseeing the planning and implementation of the ongoing transition of the Chenery Upper Elementary School.
“Welcome again, Lucia, and we’re all excited to have you here,” said School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty.
District hiring updates
As for other open positions in the district, Geiser shared with School Committee members at the remote meeting that contract negotiations were underway for a principal to lead Chenery Upper Elementary School.
At Winn Brook Elementary School and Burbank Elementary School, the postings for principal openings have been extended to allow more candidates to apply, according to Geiser.
The interviews have begun, at least in the case of one of the schools, she said.
A search for an assistant principal at the middle school is also underway, overseen by Principal Russ Kupperstein.
School Committee members asked whether the district’s timeline lends itself to a successful hiring process.
“We’re still in the window for hiring principals,” responded Gesier. “I would say that season … tends to go longer; it starts up around January for most districts, and that would usually extend well into the spring.”
If the district cannot find principals for the two elementary schools, “we’ll be making decisions about what those next steps would be.”
School Committee member Jeff Liberty asked whether the budget uncertainty has impacted prospective candidates’ interest in the open positions.
“We haven’t heard definitively from candidates,” Geiser said. “That is certainly something we’re speculating about, but we don’t have any information on that from candidates at this point.”
She relayed the observation of Human Capital Director Michael McAllister that there does, however, appear to be a smaller candidate pool than he might otherwise have expected. Still, she said, this is a time of “a lot of movement.”
Liberty said the timeline may work in the district’s favor because candidates who aren’t offered positions in other districts may then be available to Belmont.
“Sometimes people don’t make a decision to apply for anything until later in the season,” Geiser said. “There’s a lot of moving, overall.”
Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, Belmont Voice board member Kevin Sullivan is the husband of Lucia Sullivan.
