North Andover School Committee rates superintendent exemplary, elects new chair

NORTH ANDOVER -- June 4, 2026, North Andover School Committee gives Superintendent Lathrop exemplary rating and elects new chair. The committee voted 5-0 at its June 4 year-end meeting to rate Superintendent Kristen Lathrop exemplary overall on her annual evaluation, citing exceeded performance on fiscal management and met performance on district-wide high-quality instructional materials implementation. The board also authorized a transfer of up to $400,000 from salary to operating expenses to close out fiscal year 2026, with Finance Director Gail Dowd reporting the district expects to carry forward close to 100 percent of its circuit breaker reserve, a milestone member Kelly Cormier called previously unthinkable given that "we were on the brink of collapse" two years ago. The committee voted unanimously to adopt OpenSciEd and Project Lead the Way as high school science curricula, endorsed a five-focus-area strategic plan framework built from 30-to-40-person community planning sessions, and inducted retired educator Nancy Jukins into the North Andover Educator Hall of Fame. In a 3-2 vote, member David Brown was elected the new chair, with Joe Hicks moving to vice chair.