New superintendent excited to get going | Parents & kids

Today marked the start for Carla Santorno's new gig as Superintendent-Elect. Santorno will service as interim Superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools fore the next 18 months. 

The Tacoma School Boar voted in October to appoint Deputy Superintendent Santorno.

The school district says Santorno 'will oversee the day-to-day operations of Tacoma Public Schools while Superintendent Art Jarvis completes several special projects prior to his departure at the end of the school year.'

To kick-off her first day, she sent this message to all school district staff members:

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year. I hope you had a relaxing and refreshing break.

The work we do is of the utmost importance to our students, their families and our community. As your new superintendent-elect (interim), I am committed to providing the support that you need to do your best work.

I want my tenure as your superintendent to be characterized as an era when we, as a district, worked as a finely tuned machine to:

· Improve the working conditions for all of us so  we can all focus on and contribute to meeting important student outcomes;
· Significantly narrow the achievement gap between all student groups;
· Improve the performance of poorly performing and higher performing students;
·  Significantly increase our high school graduation rates; and
· Increase parent and community engagement in the education of our students.

I am so looking forward to this work! My personal career experiences in complex urban systems have convinced me that accomplishing these goals is difficult but clearly achievable. Some of you have heard me say, "Hope is not a strategy." It is not. I believe in data and data-driven decision making accompanied by culturally responsive teaching strategies adapted to the needs of each of our learners. Our strategic work plan will allow us to purposefully focus on our goals, outline objectives and continually measure our progress. All central office work will be directed toward supporting those who work closest to our students.

We have a community full of education believers who have proven they are willing to support us in achieving our goals. Mayor Strickland, as well as our city and community partners, is willing to work with us to realize the benefits of a world-class school system. Our time has come.

My first efforts will be directed toward getting to know you and Tacoma. I have scheduled city bus tours with neighborhood leaders, chats with teachers and other staff, visits to schools, small group meetings with principals and conversations with key individuals. I am looking forward to meeting with each of our division employees in your work space to get to know you and your role in our district. I will be forming several advisory groups to provide input on the progress of our work and to give me feedback on my performance and the district's performance. Advisory groups will be role-related.  Please think about your ability to donate time for this important purpose.

I expect you will find me a Superintendent with whom you can work.  I have been a teacher, principal and central office administrator, and, best of all, I have raised four children - each with a different and distinct personality and outlook on life. Two made it through the traditional public school system, and two needed a different path. As a parent who believes in and preaches the power of education, I understand the importance of choice, differentiation and compassion for our students and their parents. Innovation and options must be the hallmarks of our brand.

This job at this time calls for a genuine, candid, sincere and real approach. That is me.  I believe I will bring what is needed to the position.  I am committed to hard work and dedication on behalf of the Tacoma community. You will find me unyielding in my convictions regarding serving our children. I will make hard decisions on behalf of students, am willing to admit my mistakes and yet confident that greater success is within our reach.

I look forward to working closely with each of you and ask that you truly, please join me in the pursuit of this important endeavor. The work is critical and urgent. It starts today.

Carla Santorno
Superintendent-Elect (Interim)