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Chris Wright Cited For Accomplishments; New Supt. Must Follow District’s Goals
With an interim superintendent in place (Mary Piper), the search begins for a new superintendent for the Hazelwood School District, the area’s second largest district.
Hazelwood School Board President Mark Behlmann said he expects the Board will expect Chris Wright’s replacement to follow through on the plans that have been put in place to improve instruction and academic achievement at all levels.
“Whomever we hire in her place is going to have to be 100 percent behind the plan, or they are not going to get the job,” he said. “The Board of Education is committed to continuing to implement and advance the plan already in place.”
The State Board of Education earlier this month selected Hazelwood School District Supt. Chris L. (Wright) Nicastro, as the commissioner of education for the state of Missouri. As the lead educational agent in the state, the commissioner heads the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which provides support and leadership for more than 500 school districts statewide. Her salary, set by the stae, will be $185,400 annually.
The HSD Board of Education will discuss the transition process and the search for a new superintendent during the regularly scheduled board meeting on July 28.
Wright-Nicastro has been the superintendent for HSD for the past seven years. She was recognized last fall by the Missouri Association of School Administrators as Missouri Superintendent of the Year.
Behlmann said that although he does not want to see Dr. Wright leave Hazelwood, he is excited that her leadership skills will be used to benefit students statewide. “The way I see it, Hazelwood School District is in a win-win situation,” he said. “The positive direction Dr. Wright has set for our district will now influence education statewide. I know she will also keep a watchful eye on our district.”
During Wright’s tenure in HSD, the District, through the Hazelwood 1st public engagement initiative, developed a three-phase facility improvement plan resulting in the passage of two bond issues and the opening of four new middle schools. The District developed common assessments for all core areas, aligned professional development with the accountability system and adopted a new district-wide reading program, writing program, math curriculum, and science curriculum.
The district also implemented a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program in grades 7-12, added full-day kindergarten, renovated 19 elementary schools, added a new library at Hazelwood Central High School and constructed new space for the early childhood and gifted programs.
