By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

We know that people are returning to the urban core and in particular to Somerville. There are a host of reasons why people are choosing to move to our community, from our arts and culture to our diverse local businesses and award-winning services, but there is one reason why families are staying: our schools. That’s a testament to what retiring Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi has achieved over the past decade. Superintendent Pierantozzi moved to Somerville after he was hired in 2005 to lead our schools, becoming part of our community and embracing it. As he leaves us at the end of this month to enjoy a well-earned retirement, we should take the time to thank Superintendent Pierantozzi for what our schools have become and his tremendous work on behalf of all our kids over the past decade.

Somerville Public Schools are now the envy of every urban school district in the Commonwealth—and many non-urban districts, too. Families are moving here and staying because people know that no matter where their child starts academically, they will learn more and faster in Somerville Schools. This is reflected in the Student Growth Percentile (SGP), a measurement adopted by Massachusetts to better understand how well schools are educating students at all achievement levels.

Instead looking at a student’s MCAS scores only in an individual context, SGP compares how a student’s performance has improved relative to other students across the state with similar past scores, so it can measure how much a school is helping its students improve. Somerville’s SGP scores show that our schools are accelerating learning for students at every proficiency level. It’s not only our high performers who are continuing to excel and our proficient test takers moving on to the next level—those students with lower initial scores are markedly improving over time. For the past two years, Somerville Public Schools has been the best performing urban school district in the Commonwealth for student growth—and is now the only urban district in the top 15 percent of all Massachusetts districts for student growth. This tremendous achievement reflects Superintendent Pierantozzi’s leadership in reaching and helping every student who enters Somerville Public Schools.

Families are also staying here because they know no matter what a family or student needs, Somerville Schools will provide that support. One of the great strengths of our schools is that they embrace the philosophy of educating the whole child, acknowledging that the work of education extends beyond pure academics, classrooms and grades on a test. Superintendent Pierantozzi has driven that approach. Under his leadership, Somerville Schools have expanded our arts, music, intramural athletics, world language and afterschool programs, all for little or no cost to families, during a time when a struggling economy led many other school districts to slash those programs or hike up fees. That work continues in the proposed school budget for the coming year. Despite a difficult winter, Superintendent Pierantozzi continues to make investments in full-time positions that support the health and well-being of each student, while also investing in classroom positions that manage class sizes and ensure we are delivering the classroom education our students deserve.

Superintendent Pierantozzi also led by working with the whole community to build upon the great foundation, values and character we already had here in Somerville. He did not come in and institute his vision for Somerville Schools—he came in and instituted the community’s vision. Somerville partnered with local universities to boost and support our programs, leadership roles were created for teachers and students in our schools, and now underway is the new universal kindergarten readiness strategy that leverages both public and private resources to connect every family with young children with the information and resources they need. The hallmark of Superintendent Pierantozzi’s tenure as our educational leader has been innovative, continuous improvement by working in concert with all members of the community, from parents and guardians to local service providers. That’s the way we do it in Somerville—together.

Education is the first pillar of our community, the most important part of our foundation. Everything that affects our community and our quality of life, from our economy to public safety, starts with how highly we value education. Thanks to Superintendent Pierantozzi, that pillar has never been stronger. After years of decline, enrollment in Somerville Public Schools is rising again. Families look to us and recognize that we are a community where a strong education for every child is one of our core values, a school district that works with every family to support each and every child, and they want to be a part of it. This is the legacy Superintendent Pierantozzi leaves in Somerville, and we owe him our gratitude and thanks.