School leaders in North Adams are starting the search process for a new superintendent following the announced retirement of a 40-year veteran of the district.
Jim Montepare has been part of the North Adams Public School system in various capacities since the 1970s.
“If I look back at my life, I’ve been pretty much going to school every day in one form or another for almost 60 years now,” said Montepare.
The Watervliet, NY native has been superintendent since 2003 and earlier this week announced his impending retirement. He says he wanted to see the district complete the roughly $30 million Colegrove Elementary School project which opened earlier this year and leave the schools financially stable following the 2008 economic downturn. In an interview with WAMC, Montepare noted some of the district’s accomplishments during his tenure, including bringing in roughly $200 million in grant funding by his estimation over the years.
“We were the first district when I was a special education director to bring inclusive education to the commonwealth,” Montepare said. “We were a spearhead with Pittsfield to do a $5 million one-on-one laptop initiative for middle schools. We were the first in the commonwealth to receive federal funding for afterschool programs which are still running strong today as model programs in the state. I was fortunate enough to be nominated to receive a national thespian administrator award.”
But what Montepare reflects on most is an award nomination letter written by a former student who is now an adult living with autism.
“It just tugged on a heart string and indicated that I was a good solid man and that I treated people with respect regardless of their disability or status,” Montepare said. “It still chokes me up when I think of it.”
North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright has known Montepare as a parent of a student and as a fellow community leader for about four decades.
“He’s certainly left a wonderful mark here in all that he’s done and not only for the district,” Alcombright said. “For the special education population, which was Jim’s background and his passion, some of the programs he’s created around that. He will be missed personally and professionally here in North Adams for sure.”
Montepare plans to retire at the end of March, but says he will stay on if the city needs him to while they find a replacement. The North Adams School Committee isadvertising the position. They hope to hire someone by late March. Alcombright chairs the committee.
“We teamed up with the Mass[achusetts] Association of School Committees to garner technical assistance for this process,” Alcombright said. “I’ll be going to the school committee next week with a suggested list of folks that will be on the search committee. It will be representative of community members, parents in the district, a teacher, an administrator and a staff person. We’ve also brought MCLA [Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts] to the table for this as they’re a significant community partner in our educational system. So we think it’s going to be a really good comprehensive thing albeit it will be quick.”
More than 1,500 students attend North Adams Public Schools according to a state report card for the 2013-14 school year.
