Pair of candidates kick off Lynn super interviews

LYNN – While one era came to an end Thursday night the Lynn School Committee began laying the groundwork for another as they said goodbye to retiring Superintendent Nicholas Kostan just hours after interviewing two of the seven candidates vying for his job.Taunton Superintendent Art Stellar and former Ayer Superintendent Lore Nielsen interviewed before the school committee Thursday afternoon, both falling back on their experience and career accomplishments as administrators in a variety of settings across the country.Nielsen, who has been superintendent in Ayer and assistant superintendent in Wilmington and Leominster, touted her skills as a “people-person” who specializes in professional development, curriculum and instruction and strategic planning. While stints in Massachusetts have mainly been in smaller communities, Nielsen does have urban experience in the past working in the Hillsborough County School District in Florida, which includes the city of Tampa.During interviews, the School Committee focused their questions on budget issues, parent involvement and student achievement, to which she repeatedly referred to her long resume as evidence of her competency in all areas.Nielsen, who has four children, said her youngest son’s recent college graduation would allow her to focus all of her attention on leading the Lynn Public Schools.”I am at a place in my life where the empty nest is feeling pretty good and I feel like I can devote my full attention to the superintendent position,” she said. “The first thing I would do (if hired) would be to listen and learn. Then, I would work together with he leadership team and come up with ah plan that would be successful.”Stellar, who has over 20 years of superintendent experience in areas such as Boston and Oklahoma City, also expressed confidence in his abilities, and “guaranteed” that student achievement would improve if he were hired in Lynn.Again pointing to his lengthy resume, Stellar outlined his achievements in several communities, including Taunton, which has the highest ELA and second highest math MCAS scores among the state’s 22 urban districts.He vowed that there is not a job in the school department that he could not or would not do, and there are few things that he hasn’t seen throughout his years in education.”There is not a whole lot I haven’t seen, done or been a part of. I have seen the good side of education, and I have seen the negative side of guns, drugs and weapons, too,” he said. “There is not a job in your school district that you could give me that I couldn’t do. I am a very good teacher and a very good coach, I teach people what they need to learn and I coach people to success? I do guarantee that student achievement will improve if I am hired, because it has everywhere else I have been.”Stumbling blocks did come up for both candidates during the interviews, as Stellar said he was not sure if he could start in Lynn next month if hired, and Nielsen expressed an unwillingness to sell her home in North Andover and relocate to Lynn.