Ken Duva, superintendent of schools in Jamestown, made a half-hour presentation Tuesday before the North Kingstown School Committee in his bid to become chief of the neighboring district.
Duva, who was hired as director of student services in 2011 and promoted to superintendent in 2016, is a finalist for the North Kingstown job with Brian Ackerman, assistant superintendent for the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District in Massachusetts.
“Why am I looking to come here?” he asked the North Kingstown board. “I have a great job in Jamestown. It’s a great community. But I see this as an opportunity for myself to grow within my career.”
Duva, 44, who has a doctorate in education from Johnson & Wales, also described his connection to North Kingstown. He began his career in North Kingstown teaching special education at the former Davisville Elementary School in 2000. All four of his children attend North Kingstown public schools, moreover, and his wife teaches in the district.
Duva then outlined his six values to build trust in a school community.
“They guide you in the work that you do,” he said. “Reliability, compassion, curiosity, collaboration, courage and transparency.”
Duva, at the beginning the presentation, displayed a photo of himself with his hair dyed green. The photo came from when he was atop the Lawn School, with solar panels in the background, to announce Jamestown’s designation as a Green Ribbon district.
“As a superintendent, I think it’s extremely important that you are involved, visible and part of your schools and school community,” he said. “You have to have fun with your job.”
Kristine Lapierre, chairwoman of the Jamestown School Committee, announced Duva’s consideration in a letter sent to parents last week.
“We are proud of the work Dr. Duva has accomplished for the Jamestown school community and we recognize the importance of the partnership with the North Kingstown School Department,” she wrote. “Please note that Dr. Duva has not yet been offered nor accepted a position with North Kingstown. However, one of our district’s core values is collaboration. So, with collaboration and with transparency in mind, we wanted to share this news with you.”
