Barnstable Intermediate School
BARNSTABLE – Incoming Barnstable Public School District Superintendent Sara Ahern recently highlighted what skills and experience she will be bringing to the table and what priorities will lead her first few months in the role.
In an interview with CapeCod.com, Ahern said that she has the benefit of experience as the superintendent for Franklin Schools, which shares many similarities with Barnstable in terms of size, age and demographic.
“I feel like I have some skills to bring from the role I’ve had in Franklin for the past five years and look forward to lending that to Barnstable in July,” said Ahern.
Previously, she served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in the Holliston School District and as a science teacher.
She highlighted the community outreach she did as part of Franklin’s Portrait of a Graduate project as among her proudest work in the role.
She said she hopes to bring the outreach efforts with students and families along with curriculum design experience with teachers to her new role, as well.
As schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ahern said that there is still much work to be done, especially to help students who may have struggled more than others due to the world-wide health crisis that saw many students learning from home for extended lengths of time.
“Educational inequities widened during the pandemic. It’s more important now than ever to attend to students’ learning needs. Both academic needs as well as their social and emotional needs, and not just in this current year but for years to come,” said Ahern.
She said there may be some relief funding available for school districts across the region to potentially help in some of the recovery efforts, and that she plans to pursue all options.
About Grady Culhane
