Meet Karen Baldwin, Suffield's New Superintendent

The new superintendent of the Suffield school system is excited to begin working in town.

Karen Baldwin, superintendent of the Watertown school system for the past three years, will be starting her new position on August 8, three weeks before the start of school.

Baldwin said her focus right now is to make sure the new agriscience center construction project remains on schedule. She also wants to make sure the roofing work being completed over the summer stays on schedule so it doesn’t interfere with the beginning of the new school year.

Baldwin will spend five days in July focusing on the Suffield Board of Education and learning the board’s routines and procedures.

“The first thing is establishing a strong working relationship with the Board of Education,” Baldwin said.

She also wants to find out who is responsible for what on the board. It is important to get a head start on her job, she said.

Baldwin wants to share the concept of “shared governance with the school board.” She noted the importance of the board understanding its role in supporting her leadership as well as the importance of building trust and communication with the board.

Baldwin also wants to establish a partnership with the community.

“I intend to be visible and an integral part of the community,” she said.

Baldwin said she will attend sporting events, musicals and art shows, along with other school programming, to get to know the community.

She was drawn to Suffield because it’s a “Farmington Valley community.”

“It’s going to be a very nice change,” Baldwin said. “It’s a very welcoming community. There is a reputation in town that education is held in high regard. I think the community wants it to improve.”

Students have performed well, but there is always room for improvement, Baldwin said. She wants all children to be successful.

Baldwin thinks her skill set will come in handy to face some of the human resource challenges in the school system, which she thinks needs “some strategic work.” It was another part of her attraction in coming to town, she said.

The Suffield school system doesn’t currently have a human resource director. Baldwin’s prior experience in human resources was as human resource director for five years in the Wethersfield school system. She said she loved her work in human resources and believes it will serve her well as superintendent.

“I’m a problem solver, I think, because of the human resource background,” Baldwin said. “I’m very good at conflict resolution.”