Dear SPS Families:
I am honored and humbled to begin today as your next Superintendent. Since the School Committee appointed me back in August, I have been waiting with anxious anticipation to begin here in Stoughton. Being a Superintendent has been a life-long goal of mine and I am very happy to have found such a wonderful and welcoming community. During the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and meeting with school administration, faculty, staff and many students. Even during these quick visits, I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of everyone I’ve met. School spirit and community pride are evident everywhere I visit here in Stoughton. After attending two football games at the beautiful new Veterans Memorial Stadium, it’s easy to understand everyone’s zeal for the Stoughton Public Schools and our Black Knights. It was great to see students of all ages at the games as well as parents and alumni. All were excited to be in the new stadium. I truly enjoyed watching the football team play, listening to the band perform and witnessing the color guard routine; not to mention a win against Braintree in the final two minutes of the game!
Over the course of the next two weeks, I’ll be visiting one school each morning spending a couple of hours to be sure that I have a chance to meet everyone. I look forward to greeting our students as they exit the buses and enter the building or waving as you drop them off in the morning. I always enjoy visiting classrooms and watching our students learn and grow every day. Even in my brief interactions with faculty and staff so far, I know that we have a dedicated teaching staff who are going above and beyond everyday to teach our students and provide a comprehensive education for all. Everyone takes pride in their school and is proud to let me know where they go to school and who their teacher is. I can’t wait to see it all in action.
Please join me in thanking Mr. Jonathan Ford who has done an extraordinary job as Interim Superintendent over the past three months. It is difficult to open schools in a typical year much less during a pandemic. While I know that Mr. Ford has a strong team behind him, he handled two full time jobs working many long days and nights to make sure that our school buildings opened safely for our students and teachers. Stoughton is lucky to have such a dedicated Deputy Superintendent who was able to allow for a seamless transition. In addition, he made sure that I felt welcome every time I visited always making time to help me settle into my new school system. I cannot thank him enough and I know he is grateful to get back to work.
I look forward to meeting everyone and getting to know the community more and more over the next several months. Please do not hesitate to introduce yourself if you see me at an event or game and know that I am excited to be here and ready to go.
Very truly yours,
Thomas R. Raab, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools