Superintendent candidate Bradshaw impressed with Saugus’ attitude

SAUGUS – The first of three finalists for the Saugus schools superintendent position spent the day in town Monday touring the schools and meeting staff.Ann Bradshaw, who has been the superintendent of the Mashpee School District for eight years, said the tour went “really well” as she got to meet “upbeat and positive people.”?I was very impressed with the staff,” said Bradshaw at a public reception in the School Committee room Monday. “They all have a can-do attitude. You can tell they?re totally committed to the students in their school. It was very, very positive.”Before serving as superintendent in Mashpee, Bradshaw was assistant superintendent in Falmouth, where she said she started her career in education as a teacher and then as curriculum director.Current superintendent Richard Langlois is leaving Saugus to become superintendent in Marlborough effective July 1.Bradshaw said, if appointed, she would consult with parents, teachers and administrative staff to learn about the district and to see what needs work. Bradshaw said student achievement and refining the school budget are her top priorities.?We?ve had great success with our advanced placement program,” said Bradshaw, who is married with two grown children, of her experience in Mashpee. “We belong to the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative, and they?ve helped us a great deal. And we?ve always worked in professional learning communities where teachers work together on goals and sharing strategies.”Bradshaw also said her district has seen “quite a few years of budget cuts” and noted that she?s “unfortunately” become good at dealing with limited funding.?The thing is to be really careful with the money that you have and to focus on priorities, and not to eliminate programs altogether, but maybe take little bites out of a lot of different places,” she said.With the high school recently put on warning by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Bradshaw said “some action” needs to be taken with the high school.?Whether it?s to renovate the current building or build a new high school, I think it?s important that the town have an accredited high school,” she said. “I think the thing to do would be to work with the town and work with residents to come up with the best plan.”Bradshaw, who has degrees in education leadership, reading and elementary education, said she would be the best person to lead Saugus Schools because of her “energy and passion.”?I?m a highly motivated individual and I really believe in what I do,” she said. “I bring everything I have to the game, and really enjoy working hard and working with people.”While Mashpee is nearly 90 miles away from Saugus, Bradshaw, who lives in Falmouth, said she?s planning to move to the area if she is chosen.?That?s one of the reasons why I?m interested in Saugus,” she said. “We would really like to move off the Cape. (Saugus) would be my first place to look. The architecture is so interesting and there are so many people that have lived here for generations, and that speaks volumes about how they feel about their community.”Bradshaw also noted she?s seen “a lot of community” support for the schools.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].