Nicole Gittens Named Acting Superintendent of Brookline Schools

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline has a new acting Superintendent of Schools. The Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Nicole Gittens, has taken over the role after Superintendent Andrew Bott abruptly resigned last month. After he resigned, the school committee set to work finding a temporary replacement. But to bridge the gap between Bott's departure and an incoming interim superintendent, the School Committee has chosen someone from the department to fill the role.

The Brookline School Committee named Gittens to the post Monday, by a 5-3 vote.

School Committee members Sharon Abramowitz, Suzanne Federspiel and David Pearlman voted against the move, according to those present. Jennifer Monopoli was not present for the vote.

Gittens came to Brookline after serving 11 years in administration in Boston Public Schools as Headmaster at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and Headmaster of the Urban Science Academy. Gittens began her teaching career as a student teacher at Brookline High School and then became a mathematics teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where she worked for eight years.

As the Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, she was responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning in prekindergarten through 12, according to the school website.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Business Law from Temple University, a Masters in Teaching from Simmons College, and a Certificate in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts. In 2018 she got her Doctorate of Education from Boston College.

On July 22 at the School Committee meeting, the chair of the committee appointed a Screening Committee made up of Helen Charlupski, Federspiel, Monopoli and Pearlman to vet candidates for Interim Superintendent, once the job was posted on July 24. School Committee members were taking sugestions for interview questions until Aug. 6. and then on August 7 the committee met in executive session at 5:30 p.m. to consider applications.

Interviews scheduled to be held Aug. 9, 12, and 13. School Committee members are holding Aug. 19 open so that the committee can make its recommendation to the full school committee. That meeting is open to the public.

Check out the job description at the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) websites.

The announcement that Bott was stepping down came as a surprise to many. He leaves Brookline as the district is working on negotiating contentious teacher contracts, finding enough space to accommodate rising enrollment after the town voted down a plan to build a ninth elementary, and a renovation of the high school.

Gittens and Bott took the helm in addressing kickback after several former and current kindergarten teachers called for more flexibility and play-based learning in the classroom, sending a letter home to the community about plans to follow up and clarify.

Gittens may be the first African American woman to hold the post of superintendent for any length of time in Brookline. (Do you know the answer to that? Email us at Brookline@Patch.com)

RELATED:

• Brookline Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Bott Resigns
• Who Will Be Brookline's Next Superintendent?
• Brookline Schools Superintendent Andrew Bott Takes Job In Boston

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).