Source: 6A Kitty Hawk Landing Ste 101 Contact: Amity Small, Londonderry
Londonderry, NH 03053 School District Communications Chair
(603) 432-6937, ex 6504 Date: 2/17/2023
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jason Parent’s Next Stop Assistant Superintendent
On February 14, upon the unanimous recommendation from the Assistant Superintendent Hiring Committee, the School Board voted in support of current Londonderry High School Principal Jason Parent becoming the District’s next Assistant Superintendent starting July 1st, 2023. Parent has spent the past six months serving as both LHS Principal and the Interim Assistant Superintendent grades 6-12. Board member Bob Slater notes of Parent “When the Assistant Superintendent Committee submitted their unanimous decision to the Board for Jason Parent to be named the next Assistant Superintendent, I was thrilled. I am so glad Jason applied for this position, as I know his already proven leadership qualities and commitment to our entire school district for over the past 19 years. He will be instrumental in moving Londonderry School District to an even higher level of education for all of our students!”
Parent began his career in Londonderry in 2003 as an Assistant Principal at LHS when he started an alternative pathway for students to earn their diplomas. His work to first implement the Adult Education Program has helped hundreds of students earn their diplomas or Hi-Set certificates. He ran a welcoming and organized House Office, where he was known for his collaborative leadership style. He was recognized as the NH Assistant Principal of the Year in 2007.
His many successes led to his appointment as LHS Principal in 2008, when LHS was named NH High School of the Year. As Principal, Parent led the high school through several successful NEASC re-accreditation processes; implemented career and college ready goals, the College Board Assessment Suite, which led to the state’s accountability assessment, then competency-based education and remediation parameters; re-charged the Londonderry High School Hall of Fame recognition of staff, students, and community members; led students and staff through Covid learning; organized a 1:1 device initiative for all students; and supported the daily operations of the high school through the leadership of his administrative team and staff. Parent supports students involved in athletic, academic, musical, and extracurricular events all year long. He remains calm in crisis, and he makes himself available to staff, students, and families. He also has mentored several aspiring leaders during his time as Principal. North School Principal Paul Dutton says, “Jay believes in empowering and supporting all those around him: teachers, staff and students and has inspired others to be educational leaders, including myself.”
Parent was inducted into the LHS Hall of Fame in 2017, and in 2018, he was named the NHASC Administrator of the Year. Additionally, Parent has spent many years on the NHIAA Executive Council, where he also served as President of the organization. Parent is currently the third longest tenured Principal in NH, with 15 years as LHS’s leader. Parent has raised his family in town and coached several teams in the community.
Superintendent Daniel Black shares of Parent’s next chapter, “Watching Jason through the many steps of our hiring process made a few things very clear to me and the entire hiring committee: (1) Jason is very dedicated to the Londonderry students, staff, and community and he is looking to evolve his career here in a new path to support all three; (2) he has the strengths in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to guide our staff to make our academic program even stronger in the coming years; (3) and finally he is going to put in the time and effort and do whatever it takes to be highly effective in this new role and make sure Londonderry gets stronger in what we do as a school system. We are lucky he will take the next steps in his career here with us.”
Parent is excited to begin the next phase of his career. The search for a new LHS Principal will begin in March.