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Date: 2/23/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The School Committee voted Feb. 14 to hire Stefania Raschilla as the district’s next superintendent, pending contract negotiations, after a final set of interviews.
Raschilla, the chief instructional officer for Springfield’s public schools, had been one of two remaining candidates for the job to move forward with a final interview with the committee. The other was Longmeadow High School Principal Thomas Landers.
School Committee member Colleen Marcus said that she and others on the Search Committee visited Springfield on Feb. 10 and met with dozens of people who had worked with Raschilla in the district.
“Some common themes that arose included her knowledge and experience, and understanding of education from a pre-K level to grade 12,” said Marcus before the vote.
Mayor William Reichelt, who chairs the School Committee, said that when former Superintendent Timothy Connor announced his departure at the end of last year, he had “concerns about what was going to happen in the district,” and that many faculty in the district were concerned about establishing a stable voice in that position.
“I have now been here for eight years, and this will be my fourth superintendent,” said Reichelt. “And those who have worked in the district longer know that it has been more.”
Connor, who had led the schools since early 2020, left to take a job in the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Assistant Superintendent Vito Perrone has been filling in as interim school superintendent since the summer.
School Committee member Kira Thompson made a motion to hire Raschilla. When the first round of votes were cast, Raschilla was picked 6-1, with Nancy Farrell being the lone vote for Landers. In a second vote, Farrell changed her choice to make it unanimous.
In her final interview, Raschilla highlighted her work in public education for 24 years, all in Springfield. She has been an elementary school teacher, a “turnaround principal” for an underperforming level 4 school, and the district’s literacy director before becoming the chief instruction officer.
When asked by Reichelt why she is seeking this position, which she said was the only one she applied for, Raschilla said that after 24 years at the third largest public school district in the state, that she feels she has the experience and knowledge for all grade levels needed to do the job.
“I feel that I have the experience and knowledge from pre-K to 12 with curriculums, educators, administrators, families, the community, and outside agencies that after all this time I have gained the knowledge and feel that it is the time that I could be the superintendent of West Springfield public schools,” said Raschilla. “After all these experiences, now is the time to take the next step.”