The town of Brookline has a new Interim Superintendent of Schools and his name is Ben Lummis.
Ben was recommended unanimously by a search committee to take the role after Superintendent Andrew Bott abruptly resigned last month. On Monday, the School Committee voted him into the position with 9-0 votes.
“This is an extremely challenging time of year to hire anyone in the field of education. We had six applications, of which we invited three candidates to interview with us,” said the district in a press release.
“By working side by side with Superintendent Bott, and closely with all principals, teachers and administrators, and with the School Committee, Select Board, Town Boards and Commissions, Town departments, PTO leaders, and community members, Mr. Lummis has the relationships needed to successfully lead the district through the 2019-2020 school year,” reads the statement.
Ben Lummis joined the Public Schools of Brookline in 2015 as the Special Assistant to the Superintendent for Strategy and Performance. Mr. Lummis is an accomplished leader, problem solver, and team builder who has worked in public education for twenty years.
Mr. Lummis worked as a Vice President at the National Center on Time & Learning, leading the TIME Collaborative, a five-state initiative to develop models of high quality expanded time schools. In this position, Mr. Lummis led the team responsible for direct work with principals, teachers, and district leaders helping them to effectively expand the school day to deepen student engagement, strengthen instruction, and increase academic achievement. Prior to coming to Brookline, he was the Vice President of Educator and Professional Development Programs at EF Education First and a Director at the Center for Collaborative Education. He has served as a School Committee member in Cambridge, and began his career in education as a middle school English teacher in Cambridge and Needham.
As Special Assistant for Strategy and Performance, Mr. Lummis is responsible for the development of the district’s strategic plan, process and decision-making improvements based on staff input and research-based best practices, and creating processes to better support educators in using data to strengthen student learning.
Mr. Lummis earned a Master of Arts degree in Teaching at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Michigan.
