Superintendent Finalist from Bloomington Interviewed by District 197 School Board

Nancy Allen-Mastro, an assistant superintendent with Bloomington Public Schools, completed a day-long interview Tuesday for the position of  superintendent.

A public Q&A and a formal interview with the board followed a day of meeting with staff and parents in the district.

Bloomington Public Schools has 15 buildings including two high schools, Jefferson and John F. Kennedy, and about 10,000 students. 

Board members started the interview with questions about Allen-Mastro's approach to any perceived discrepencies between schools within the district, whether that be due to demographics or to magnet programming.

Allen-Mastro said its important to make sure each building and its staff feels valued within the district. "Minimize comparison and let them each be excellent in their own way." She said while there are "no excuses" for poor performance, the Bloomington district has had success by creating a culture of collaboration rather than competition.

Data-Driven Decisions

In addressing other board questions, Allen-Mastro said she values creativity in the classroom, and she also places a high priority on research and data analysis to measure program impact, student success and teacher performance. She said she would want to create positions for research and analysis in district administration if possible.

The board also asked about her views on technology.

Technology should be used to accelerate learning, said Allen-Mastro, but schools should be careful not to "trade expensive technology for something we can do with paper and pencil." She described technology in the classroom as a "gateway to personalized learning."

As for personal technology, she recently bought an iPad and her favorite smart phone app is Shazam, she said. 

Board Chair Mark Spurr asked how Allen-Mastro decided she was ready for a superintendent position. She said that when she worked in Prior Lake, the superintendent there had an intense, all-consuming approach to the job. In Bloomington, she has seen that a different style can achieve the same results.

She said she's since learned how to develop her own style and be “my own leader.”

Sharon Freeman, an assistant superintendent with the St. Paul school district, will be interviewed on Wednesday in Henry Sibley High School room A-241 at 7:15 p.m.

Jon Lamberson, superintendent of Riverside Public Schools in Illinois, was 

The board is scheduled to select their final choice Wednesday night following Freeman's interview, pending contract negotiations. Profiles of the three candidates are available on the District 197 website.