Larissa Doherty emphasizes transparency, phased 90-day plan in Tiverton finalist interview

Dr. Larissa Doherty, a continuous improvement facilitator for the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity and a former assistant superintendent in Malden, presented a three-phase 90-day entry plan focused on listening, aligning systems and implementing collaborative actions.

Doherty said her purpose for the initial period is "to establish trust, to understand the district's strengths and challenges, and to lay the foundation for collaborative student-centered leadership aligned to Tiverton's strategic priorities." She described her approach as listening first, then designing small, deliberate changes before implementing agreed actions.

Her Phase 1 would be a 30-day "listen and learn" tour including school visits, one-on-one meetings with union leaders and town officials, focus groups and a deep document review of strategic plans, budgets and enrollment data. At the end of that period she said she would publish a public summary of themes and early priority steps.

Phase 2, she said, would focus on redesign and alignment, convening a cross-functional transition team to address the Fort Barton elementary school reconfiguration and ensure instructional coherence during transitions. Phase 3 would move to implementation with an advisory council, formal school-visit protocols and a public year-one action plan tied to strategic priorities.

Doherty repeatedly stressed transparent communication and noted experience closing a school during COVID and writing a playbook later used by Boston Public Schools. "People will accept bad news if they understand the bad news," she told the committee, and she emphasized continuing outreach to municipal leaders about housing trends that could affect enrollment and budgets.

Committee members asked the same set of five-minute questions used for all finalists. Doherty said she balances hands-on operational work and vision-setting by prioritizing classroom presence while completing other administrative tasks outside core hours. On bullying, she described building reporting systems, policy updates and training, and offered an example where creating structure, updating policy and providing staff training reduced future incidents.

Doherty closed by saying she was drawn to Tiverton by the district's "student-centered and community-grounded" values and its size, which she said would allow her to be visible and connected to students, staff and families.

No formal action was taken during the interview; it was one of three finalist presentations scheduled by the school committee.