Schools

Q & A With Kevin Smith, Ph.D., Bethel's New Superintendent

Dr. Smith outlined some of his first priorities.

 

Good morning, Dr. Smith.   As you prepare for February 1, the date your appointment begins, what are some of the plans you have for the immediate future?

Smith: Well, I have submitted an entry plan for the first 100 days, which is about developing relationships with teachers and staff, getting around and meeting everyone, and beginning to establish a presence within the schools. We are coming into the budget meeting on Tuesday night. Central office staff will put together a budget proposal and then the Board of Education will look closely at making changes. From there, the board will carry it forward to the Board of Finance.

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What do you think has best prepared you for this position?

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I graduated from Marist College with a degree in political science. After college, I worked with the Marist Brothers, which is a Catholic religious order, teaching in inner city schools. After that, I taught at Central Catholic, in Lawrence, Ma. I later moved to New Jersey and worked in the Central Ward in Newark, where I taught second, third and seventh grade. I completed my Masters in Educational Leadership, and then I worked in New York at Sacred Heart in the High Ridge area of the South Bronx, which is one of the largest Catholic Diocese schools in New York. I was assistant principal, then principal for three years. While I was there, I completed my doctorate in Educational Leadership.

In 2005, I moved to Trumbull, and in 2006 became principal of the middle school in Bethel.

Working with the Marist Brothers, I had a real social justice orientation, I still do. I have always been very committed to working with minority kids.

 

How do you see the Bethel Schools?

Bethel sets an aggressive pace for change. The teachers are exemplary. Lawrence Craybas, the Chairman of the Board of the Education, has a significant interest in getting parents involved. Most are involved but we would like to see more. You see a lot more parents in the elementary schools.

When kids get to the middle school they want to be more independent, but that is actually when parents should be the most involved. It's hard because it is a time when the kids are getting a little older, and a lot of parents are going back to work.

 

What will be your first order of business as the new superintendent?

The first thing I would propose to do would be to get to know all the teachers. And parents should also have those conversations with teachers. It's important to reinforce to our kids that parents are in touch with their teachers everyday. It helps kids feel a level of safety.

 

What are some of the challenges you expect to face?

For 100 years, technology didn't change, now, no one knows what the latest, greatest jobs with technology will be. With the State standards as they are now, critical thinking is becoming much more important in education than it ever was before.

Parents, have talks with kids about how the way world is changing. There are trades that will always be valuable, but social media is the least understood and most powerful tool we have right now. We need to let our kids find new ways to meaningfully impact their community.

 

How was Mr. Derek Muharem selected to be the principal at the middle school?

Derek was my assistant for the last five and a half years, and I always felt he would be the best for the job. There were 37 candidates, and our internal staff knew more and was better prepared than those coming from other schools. Even with all that's out there, all of the new demands, Bethel is keeping up and getting ahead.

 

Why do you think you were selected to become Superintendent?

I asked them if they were looking for a preservationist or an architect. I am an architect, and they resonated with the vision I proposed, with meeting the challenges of change. Plus, I am a known quantity. I would represent the community in a responsible and professional way. It is just starting to sink in that I have earned the job.


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