WORCESTER – As schools begin on Monday, August 25, in Worcester, the Telegram & Gazette interviewed Superintendent Brian Allen to discuss his objectives and aspirations for the district throughout the 2025-26 academic year.
This is Allen’s first complete school year in charge, having beennamed the next superintendent in May.
Visiting every school
Allen has outlined the objective of visiting every school in Worcester during the first month of the academic year, a challenging task given that the Worcester Public Schools manages 47 institutions throughout the city.
On the first day, Allen will start by visiting Heard Street Discovery Academy, South High, and Sullivan Middle schools.
“Each school visit will simply involve meeting and greeting students and teachers to say, ‘Hello and welcome back to the school year.’ It’s not an assessment or anything similar; it’s truly just an opportunity to say ‘hi’ to everyone,” Allen stated.
Allen stated that after serving as deputy superintendent underprevious Superintendent Rachel Monárrez, his new position as the highest administrator will demand a significantly more public-oriented role, beginning with visiting each school.
As deputy superintendent, I used to visit schools, but those visits were mainly for operational purposes, so I didn’t get as involved in the classrooms as I am now,” Allen said. “In June, I had the opportunity to be in the classroom and observe the students and teachers, and it’s truly exciting.
Maintaining stability under Monárrez’s perspective Remaining firm according to Monárrez’s approach Staying consistent with Monárrez’s direction Upholding the course as envisioned by Monárrez Keeping steady in line with Monárrez’s plan Adhering to Monárrez’s vision Following Monárrez’s guidance closely Remaining grounded under Monárrez’s leadership Sticking to Monárrez’s concept Maintaining the status quo as per Monárrez’s strategy
Allen stated that he aims to keep the progress achieved during Monárrez’s tenure as the central priority as he assumes control of the district.
I believe some of the fear surrounding a new superintendent stems from concerns about new programs, as people worry we might introduce new elements that could disrupt existing systems,” Allen stated. “The reality is that I’ve been here, and I’ve worked with the previous superintendent. It’s truly about maintaining our current direction while diving deeper into the work. We need to be more deliberate about our instructional focus moving forward because we now have the systems, structures, and resources in place.
In 2023, the area implemented afive-year planto direct its focus through 2028. Allen’s initial year in office will align with the start of the second half of the five-year plan, which Allen mentioned is centered on turning vision into action.
We feel that the initial years were focused on building the systems, structures, and allocating resources to enable schools to truly succeed in student performance. Now, it’s time to implement this effectively and dive deeper into the work,” Allen stated. “I believe the School Committee anticipates following the strategic plan. I led the strategic plan committee, and it involves moving further into this work.
Enhancing the variety of school staff members
At a School Committee meeting on August 14, the district revealed that although efforts were made to enhance the diversity of both instructional and noninstructional staff, there was no significant change in these areas compared to the previous year. Teachers from underrepresented backgrounds accounted for 29.3% of the teaching staff, matching the percentage from last summer.
Allen stated that the most reasonable approach to creating a teaching staff that reflects the diversity of the student population is to motivate existing Worcester students to consider teaching as a profession — although this is a long-term strategy.
We can cultivate our own talent. We understand the characteristics of our students, and we serve as advocates to inspire them to attend Worcester State or other teacher training institutions, and then return to become educators in Worcester,” Allen stated. “We held a meeting with our high school student advisory group last May, and we discussed what it would take for them to consider teaching as a career. They didn’t really see teaching as a viable option for themselves — so it’s crucial for us to convey to our students that, ‘This is a path available to you,’ and that, ‘You can achieve success.’ We need to go out there and communicate this message to our students.
Unpredictability of federal financing, Trump’s initiatives
In July, the Trump governmentheld back $3.5 million in grant moneyThat was meant for the Worcester Public Schools, which placed up to 20 positions in the district at risk. Although the grants were eventually released, the uncertainty related to federal education policy presents a significant challenge for the district, as 10% of its $586 million budget is sourced from federal funding.
If you were to question any superintendent or chief financial officer from a school district, what they would tell you about finances is that they seek predictability and a consistent flow of funding,” Allen stated. “We need to plan on an annual basis, and we must consider the long term when it comes to hiring and program development. We don’t want to be concerned with fluctuations—this level of uncertainty is too much for a system to manage.
Allen noted that policies from the Trump administration were aimed atimmigrants and members of the LGBTQIA+ communitywill place additional pressure on students and families enrolled in the Worcester Public Schools, and addressing the fears experienced by these groups will be crucial.
“Our communities are experiencing fear — whether due to their immigration status or because they identify as LGBTQIA+, all these factors create pressure on the system,” Allen stated.
Expanding the perspective of guardians Enhancing the input of caregivers Increasing the influence of family members Amplifying the opinions of those who raise children Strengthening the role of parents in discussions Giving more prominence to parental viewpoints Encouraging greater participation from parents Promoting a wider range of parental voices Allowing parents to have a more significant say Ensuring parents’ perspectives are more represented
Allen was hired in May, shortly after Monárrez announced her departure, in a move that some parents and School Committee members claimed lacked substantial community input. Allen stated that one of his objectives for the first year is to enhance the involvement of parent councils at every school and to achieve more regular parental participation within each school community.
I’ve had discussions with several community groups, and they are interested in how they can get involved and ensure their opinions are heard in their schools,” Allen stated. “A key part of our five-year plan is to strengthen our connections with community organizations. We aim to develop more robust site councils and maintain our (community) roundtables to provide a platform for people to express their views. We will keep reaching out to understand their issues and explore ways they can collaborate with us.
This piece was first published in the Telegram & Gazette:School begins on Monday in Worcester. These are the new superintendent’s objectives for the year.
