‘It’s All About Service and Collaboration’

Farmington Superintendent of Schools, Kathleen Greider reflects on career 

William “Bill” Beckert, Chairman of the Board of Education in Farmington, poses with Kathleen “Kathy” Greider at the beginning of the June 2 Board of Education meeting, held in the Black Box Theatre at Farmington High School. The meeting marked Greider’s last one as Superintendent of Farmington Public Schools as she is set to retire after serving various CT public schools for 35 years in different educational roles. 

By Patricia Sampley Krupnikoff 

Learning to swim amongst the shallow edge of Winding Trails as a young child in the Farmington Valley seems pretty normal these days, but for others, that specific activity triggers nothing but smiles and fond memories. This is what Kathleen Greider, Superintendent of Farmington Public Schools for the last 16 years, remembers well as one of the moments of her past she will always treasure, even as she retires this June. Considering her vast tenure as a leader in Farmington, Greider has come a long way from those carefree days of her youth by the lake.

When Greider arrived as the new Superintendent back in 2009, she thought about growing up in New Britain as one of five children and her experiences as a kid in Farmington, often visiting her aunt and uncle in the Highlands in the summer. As a kid, “I spent a lot of time in Farmington,” Greider recalls with quite a smile, mentioning an extended, close family that still supports her to this day. Trips to Winding Trails were common as she learned more about the town and the people who lived there. Little did she know, these early experiences connected Greider to her own forthcoming ideals about serving the needs of others as she realized back then, that town leaders prioritized education and professed such “civic-minded” values. Even in reflection, Greider assesses that when elected officials and leaders in education have shared values, this can “transform a child’s education.” This significant message has been one to drive all that she has done in her role as superintendent in the years since. 

Principal Carolyn Fink and Superintendent Kathy Greider proudly stand outside West District School where service and collaboration are part of everyday learning for students. 

As an educator in Connecticut in both Hartford and Greenwich, Greider eventually came to Farmington to fulfill her desire to make this one of the best school districts in the state, continuing those same important values of service and collaboration from growing up nearby. Despite being one of three superintendents in the town in the last 45 years, Greider’s impact is seen in everything students, faculty and administrators accomplish. But of course, this dedication did not start in Farmington alone: Greider worked tirelessly in her past to support students in her prior roles in these other districts as an elementary teacher, literacy specialist, and principal in Hartford and was the Interim Superintendent in Greenwich. When asked about what brought her to Farmington, she is still all smiles.  Back then, when she got the call to interview for the position of Superintendent, she thought, “I just knew this was the place for me.” It was pretty simple to see her past connections would help shape her future as the new leader of the school district.  

Creating the “Vision of the Graduate” was one of the first steps in confirming a goal for all students across the district that began under Greider’s leadership and became the district focus from 2010 to 2020. Lately, this has become even more developed with the “Vision of the Global Citizen” or more commonly referred to as VoGC in town.  Greider describes this as a collaboration within the community to keep clear the expected outcomes for all students in Farmington: “The VoGC was created with the community’s input through community engagement sessions. The logo was created well after the VoGC was in place and being implemented in classrooms K-12 through a student project initiated through the art department.” Once again, this demonstrates the expected path that Kathy Greider is certain will lead to success for all students as they grow in town from kindergarten to high school. Furthermore, as Kathy sees it, another incredibly important value in Farmington is for all children to learn “to make a difference” in everything they do, which connects to their awareness as global citizens of the future. From supporting local community members in need at the Farmington Food Pantry with canned food drives to participating in Relay for Life to fundraise for the American Cancer Society, students in Farmington grow up knowing the importance of serving others in their community and beyond. This is where for 16 years, Greider has modeled and demonstrated this belief herself. 

Despite posing for photos with students and attending ribbon cutting ceremonies, the real work of being a school superintendent these days can be daunting at times. However, Greider has no issue about how to approach the many tasks that have come her way. She insists that she cannot take all the credit: she works as part of a team and must evoke the ideas and inspirations of others into whatever she does as the results will affect so many in town. Right now, the greatest challenge she incurs daily is the concern for students in terms of addressing mental health and supporting everyone’s needs in town. As she describes, “Mental health has become more of a challenge in recent years which has connections to the increased use of smartphones and social media on the part of younger students. The district is reading the book, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This book provides many insights into the rise of mental health concerns and the use of social media by school-aged students.” As a step forward, Greider wants to help students cope with the ever-changing world around them by confronting these issues to ensure that “Our curriculum, programming and instructional model as well as increased mental health support within our schools provide a proactive focus on the well-being of our students.” 

Sharon Becker, longtime Science Teacher and Team Leader at Irving A. Robbins Middle School, notes how much Greider works to make learning better for students by helping faculty develop their skills as “…she pushes teachers and administrators to explore the most recent practices in education and encourages risk taking and innovation.” 

Recently at the June Board of Education meeting held at Farmington High School on June 2, Greider’s efforts as Superintendent were recognized and celebrated by so many in the room, including Board of Education members, current administrators, teachers, parents and, of course, students. To call the meeting to order, Chairman of the Board, William “Bill” Beckert, moved to allow some very young West District School students to speak about their experiences this past year. They reflected on deeper learning opportunities from across the year that engaged their “Heads, Hearts and Hands,” an idea developed out of Farmington’s collaboration with Jal Mehta and the Deeper Learning Districts, a project of the Harvard School of Education. Mrs. Greider was thrilled to hear about the students’ experiences and called the presentation “a beautiful gift,” telling the student presenters and the audience, “I have always had students at the center of my leadership.” 

West District Principal Carolyn Fink readily agrees about Greider’s contributions to Farmington and helping the district to excel: “Kathy is an incredible superintendent who has shared her gifts and talents with us so generously over the past 16 years. She has helped to shepherd us through joyful times, like the construction and opening of the new Farmington High School, as well as some of the most trying times for educators, children, and families, like COVID. With patience, determination, an open heart, and so much love, she has kept us steadily focused on what’s right for ALL children, stretching us as learners, leaders, and educators, while always keeping our focus on our students. We are immeasurably grateful!” Likewise, Farmington High School senior Sreenidi Bala simply had this to say at the May 12 Board of Education meeting: “She leads by putting others first.” During the June meeting, Bala was recognized among other scholars, artists, leaders and athletes from Farmington High School. As she heads to Harvard University next fall, Bala was honored with the Farmington Valley Superintendent’s Association Award. Kathy Greider could not be more proud as she predicted Bala would be headed into a successful future after her education in Farmington.

Board of Education members and Kathy Greider listen as students and faculty from West District School share about their learning this year, concluding with West District Principal Carolyn Fink, speaking at the podium, who wished Greider much happiness in her retirement.

Additionally, also present at Greider’s last meeting as Superintendent was Russell Crist, the current principal of Farmington High School and a former Farmington Public Schools student himself, who grew up in the district. He has worked with Kathy for years in her role as Superintendent and lived through the building of the new high school in the past few years. Amongst all the others who have commented, he added, “Kathy Greider has had an incredible impact on education in CT, in Farmington Public Schools, and on me personally in her sixteen years as Superintendent of the Farmington Public School system. Kathy’s influence at the state level and in our school system always puts students at the center. Her focus, not only on student academic success, but also the well-being of every child is a major factor behind our success in Farmington. Continuous improvement is a hallmark for our district and is derived directly from her drive for excellence. Kathy has also had an incredible impact on me and my career; she has the ability to see potential in others and to lift them to help reach that potential. I am forever grateful for the leadership, friendship and mentorship she has provided to me personally over her sixteen years in Farmington. Her impact will be felt by all for generations of students to come.”

So, what’s next for such a strong, dedicated person after June 30, 2025, when she ends her extensive educational career? Knowing her legacy will live in Farmington is certainly the reality Greider expects to see. She is naturally confident after all the work she has done in her time in Farmington that others will keep it all going forward: “When I leave, this district will continue to lead the way!” As Bill Beckert easily summarized in his proclamation in the June Board of Education meeting, “Kathleen C. Greider has served as an exceptional leader.” He finished by proudly stating, everyone was “…expressing our deepest gratitude” for Greider’s time, effort and love for this community. Surrounded by flowers, warm wishes from students, staff and administrators, not to mention parents and the rest of the Board of Education members in attendance, Greider will be on her way to retirement, ready to enjoy more time with family and friends, heading to a family beach house in CT, traveling outside the US and maybe even back to Winding Trails. VL