Dear Lockport City School District Community,

Let me first start by sharing with all of you that I am honored to be the new Superintendent of the Lockport City School District. As your new Superintendent I am looking forward to partnering with all of you: our students, parents and/or guardians, families, staff, Board of Education members - trustees, elected officials, civic organizations and business - community leaders. My goal is to make certain that we achieve the district’s motto which asserts that we will celebrate and demonstrate “pride in our past and faith in our future.”

Please know, I am deeply committed to our district and excited to learn more about how the districts’ vision and mission is being implemented in Lockport City Schools. This is a great time to be part of the Lockport community and I fully embrace this opportunity to lead.

Let me also share that I am grateful for the comprehensive hiring process which was enacted by the Board of Education. Because of this process, I was able to listen to and learn a great deal about the district. To add to this, prior to my hire I invested a great deal of time in becoming familiar with the history of the district. While doing so it became extremely clear to me that Lockport has achieved success on many levels. With that said, please know that I will work diligently to continue the great work that has been occurring in the district while collaborating with all of you on how to best build upon the strong legacy that the district and community have established for our students.

In an effort to make certain that we build upon our strengths, recognize our challenges, and identify the most powerful strategies to address those challenges, during my first 100 days of service I will be utilizing the enclosed entry plan to facilitate my work with district stakeholders. While doing so, my goal is to learn as much as possible about what is working for our students and where there are areas for growth. To add to this, I will also work diligently to hear from you, our community, on how we can better prepare and support our teachers, administrators, and support staff for the critical roles they play in each student’s life.

Please know, I look forward to listening, learning and partnering with each of you. Accordingly, I will be asking many of you to meet with me to share feedback and insight about our district. In doing so, it is my belief that I will learn a great deal about the district from each of you which will include strategies that we could employ that will enable us to increase our educational opportunities and outcomes for our students.

With that said, thank you in advance for your willingness to assist me as I enter the district “listening and learning.” I look forward to connecting with each of you in the near future.

Yours in Education,

Mathis A. Calvin III, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools