South Hadley Superintendent presents her entry plan goals and timeline to the School Committee at its Sept. 18 meeting.
Photo credit: SHCTV15
SOUTH HADLEY — Jennifer Voyik is starting her first school year as South Hadley Public Schools superintendent, and at the Sept. 18 School Committee meeting, she discussed a new superintendent induction program and her entry plan.
During its May 15 School Committee meeting, the committee approved the appointment of Assistant Superintendent Voyik as the district’s next superintendent.
Former Superintendent Mark McLauglin announced in April that last school year was his final year serving in South Hadley.
The superintendent induction program was included in Voyik’s contract, which the School Committee agreed to include.
It’s a three-year program that provides support to new superintendents. It is offered by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
NSIP is designed to ensure a successful start in the role through sharing effective practices, coaching, mentoring and peer support.
Voyik has also been working on her entry plan and timeline, which she presented to the School Committee on Sept. 18.
The School Committee received a packet for the presentation which included a letter to the community, which will be posted on the website. It goes over Voyik’s history in South Hadley and the different roles she has served within the district.
“It also shows how I’m committed to leading with openness, equity and focusing on every student, every day,” Voyik stated.
Voyik said her core values are to make sure every student is seen, center the focus of the district’s decisions around what is best for the students and making sure there is access to high quality learning, enrichment and support services.
She also said she wants to make sure relationships come first because “strong schools are built on strong relationships.” Voyik stated she wants to focus on transparency, trust, collaboration, shared responsibility and continuous improvement.
The superintendent’s entry plan is to learn about the district’s strengths, the current challenges and opportunities from multiple perspectives. It also helps build trust and relationships and review data and documents.
Voyik explained another reason for the superintendent entry plan is to connect the district improvement plan and South Hadley’s core values.
South Hadley’s current district improvement plan and school improvement plan are from 2024 to 2026.
Voyik stated, “It’s actually perfect timing to go through this process because we will be working on new district improvement and school improvement plans to present to the School Committee at the end of the year.”
South Hadley’s superintendent said she will be conducting individual interviews, focus groups and forums as well as listening to voices of the students, staff, families and community members to gather information from stakeholders.
Voyik and her team will also be reviewing data and documents including district and school improvement plans, school and staff handbooks, School Committee policy manual and more to make sure everything is up to date.
The timeline includes listening and data collection to take place during Phase 1 from September to December. From January 2026 to April 2026, the data will be analyzed and a report will be put together.
Around May or June 2026, the action plan and the presentation of a strategy for South Hadley’s future.
The deliverables that Voyik said she plan to put together are a entry findings report and a strategic priorities draft.
