As Kimberly Rizzo Saunders begins her tenure as the superintendent of the Kennett Consolidated School District, we can’t help but think that this is an example of the right person being hired at the right place and at the right time, and that great things are potentially ahead for students in the school district. Rizzo Saunders has a wonderful opportunity to help move the school district forward.

Rizzo Saunders arrived in Kennett with a “Listen, Learn, Lead” plan that included spending time at each school in the district and participating in community events to meet stakeholders and local residents in the new school district. She wrote in the plan that, “I have always been committed to the vision of a transparent, student-centered community that focuses on the core elements of teaching and learning.”

The hiring of Rizzo Saunders is—pick the sports analogy that you like best—a home run, a touchdown, a slam dunk. She previously served, since 2016, as the superintendent of the Contoocook Valley School District in New Hampshire. As a result of her work there, she was selected as one of the four finalists for the National Superintendent of the Year Award in 2023.

There were numerous school districts that would have wanted to hire a National Superintendent of the Year finalist. The Kennett Consolidated School District managed to do it.

Rizzo Saunders explained in a recent interview that she liked the Kennett Consolidated School District’s mission statement that referenced supporting “all of our students.”  The word “all” stood out to her because, during her work at Northeastern University, she was part of a program to work with re-entering probationary students back into the system. It was then she realized that all students have talent.

Rizzo Saunders seems like the perfect fit for an academically diverse school district like Kennett. Academic gains won’t be easy. They never are. This is not the case of a failing school district where big changes are needed and immediate results are possible. Kennett already produces good results, and it won’t be easy to move from good to great. There are many challenges, especially in the lingering aftermath of the pandemic. But in the next few years, the Kennett Consolidated School District will open two new school buildings for elementary school students. With the arrival of the new superintendent, it’s a very exciting time for the school district. We hope that all the students, staff, and administrators embrace this opportunity to move the school district forward.