Wong’s contract extended at L-S

Bella Wong

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee unanimously approved an extension of Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong’s contract through June 30, 2020.

“The School Committee is grateful for Bella’s many contributions to Lincoln-Sudbury over the four years in which she has served as Superintendent/Principal,” Elena Kleifges, chair of the committee, said in a press release. “Her compelling vision for 21st-century education and the promotion of equity and excellence for all students have become part of the fabric of the high school, and the towns of Lincoln and Sudbury have been the beneficiaries of Bella’s strong financial and operational management during a challenging period. We look forward to her continued contributions over the next three years.”

Wong has served as superintendent/principal of the district since July 1, 2013 (and as acting superintendent/principal before that), and she also was a science teacher and department coordinator at L-S from 1991 to 1998.

Wong told the Lincoln Squirrel that managing our budget over the past few years to maximize benefit to students has been the biggest challenge during her current tenure. “We were able to manage fixed costs like healthcare and utilities in order to be able to sustain current staffing and add a few new programs and/or improvements,” she said. “Our staff is really great at staying abreast of opportunities to keep the curriculum fresh, relevant and challenging for themselves to teach and for students to learn. One of the best achievements is being able to support those endeavors through summer workshops and additional professional development we can offer. I feel we are more conscious of what we each are doing in the effort to coordinate our efforts and promote collaboration across all departments toward creating best options for all students.”

How to prepare students for “a rapidly changing world environment” will be a key issue going forward, she said. “How do we find the right balance of skill development and content knowledge across all disciplines in four years? More critically, how do we instill a positive growth mindset in all of our students—a ‘can do ‘ attitude that will help them overcome any challenge they will face in time to come?” she said.

Prior to her current position, she was assistant superintendent and later superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Harvard University, did graduate study in molecular biology at Stanford University, earned a law degree at the University of California—Davis, and has a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.