By Seth Daniel
Lisa Lineweaver’s career has taken her through Boston’s schools and onto the Chelsea School Committee, yet this year she finds herself in a familiar setting: the Kelly School, where her own children are enrolled. In early summer, she stepped into the role of assistant principal alongside Principal Maggie Sanchez, transitioning from seven years at Blackstone Elementary School in Boston’s South End.
The move brings Lineweaver back across the Mystic/Tobin Bridge to her own community. She is preparing to greet students when they return on Tuesday, Aug. 29. “There were some changes coming at the Blackstone and I had worked there for seven years and saw this opportunity to come home to Chelsea,” she said. “It was a fantastic opportunity…There is so much I’ve learned in Boston that is a great compliment to what Chelsea and the Kelly School are doing. There are things I saw at the Kelly I borrowed for the Blackstone and things at the Blackstone that I have brought to the Kelly. I bring a few missing pieces of the puzzle.”
Her background as a parent at the Kelly adds another dimension to her new position. Her husband, former Councillor Brian Hatleberg, is connected to the community as well. Two daughters have attended the school—Holly is advancing to Browne Middle School this year, while Hazel, entering third grade, remains at the Kelly.
“She keeps saying how cool it’s going to be to go to school with mom,” she said. “But it also means I bring a parent perspective to the job. We have this long, complicated school supply list. Do we need it to be that complicated? Do parents find it frustrating? It’s not a transformative change, but it can help parents. If someone is having trouble with something at the school, I have that connection. I live here. My kids are here too. We’re going to make this work for you.”
Eight years on the Chelsea School Committee represent significant experience for Lineweaver, a role she departed from just several years prior. This perspective allows her to understand district dynamics beyond any single building’s walls and to apply a comprehensive view of how various components of the system interconnect.
Her educational credentials include a graduate degree from the Harvard School of Education completed in 2001. Before her tenure at Blackstone, she spent eight years with the Boston Plan for Excellence.
Returning to her home community after an extended period elsewhere carries a sense of ease for her. “It feels like joining a community I have one or two feet in already,” she said.
Across the district, Tuesday, Aug. 29 marks the beginning of the academic year.