GRANBY — Mary Jane Rickson’s approach to education is best described by James Baldwin’s famous quote, “The children are always ours, every single one of them.”
It’s a philosophy that inspires Granby Public Schools’ new superintendent, so much so that during an interview with the Gazette last week, Rickson teared up discussing the many students she’s encountered across her 34-year educational career.
She beamed with pride when listing off the prestigious higher education institutions that the Granby Junior Senior High School Class of 2025 now attend, and then leaned forward with excitement as she describes her plan to meet with every student at Granby Public Schools.
“I think of every student that I’ve come across in my 34 years years as my student. They’re my kids,” Rickson said. “So I expect everybody to treat their kids the same way and give them the respect and the services they need. They are what drives me.”
Just as Baldwin spoke of the collective social responsibly to protect and love children unconditionally, Rickson understands that when she accepted the job as Granby superintendent, she inherited an obligation to uplift every student, teacher and community member. Just three months into her new position, Rickson is already accomplishing that duty.
“I’m just really proud to be a member of this, this Granby community,” she said. “We have two great schools. We have a little shy of 700 fabulous students with individual needs and individual strengths. And I want to be able to hone in on those and let people understand that it takes all of us to be who we are.”
“I know there’s a lot of regionalization talk. I don’t know what that looks like…but until it happens, we have to really find ways to to stretch the dollar,”
Mary Jane RIckson, granby superintendent
Listening sessions
Rickson has worked at a few different districts in western Massachusetts over the past five years as both an interim and assistant superintendent. Last year, she landed in Granby as the interim superintendent, and fell in love with the community.
“I came to the district because I knew that it was a great community, and I knew that they had a lot of [student] success,” Rickson said. “When I got here, I wanted to make sure that we continued that work. It’s getting harder and harder every year because the student population is declining … and not many people want to get an education anymore.”
As interim superintendent, Rickson spent the better part of last school year listening. The needs and concerns she heard from students, teachers and union representatives set the foundation for her goals this year.
“Teachers told me, and I heard them. They were stressed out because there was so much going on. So I said, ‘OK, we’re stepping back this year,'” Rickson said. “I wanted to make sure that they knew that they weren’t getting anything new, but we’re going to continue what we’re doing and give them support they need.”
Big challenges, small budget
Challenges in education grow bigger each year, especially on a small-town budget. But Rickson is ready to tackle these obstacles, already innovating new ways to economize budgets before making any staff cuts.
She looks at supplies and program budgets before dipping into personnel. Outsourcing services, like Granby did with food a couple years ago, will likely become more commonplace. But Rickson predicts Granby schools will also begin sharing more programs and resources, like physical therapists and occupational therapists, with other districts.
“I know there’s a lot of regionalization talk. I don’t know what that looks like, and I don’t know how long that’s going to take, but until it happens, we have to really find ways to stretch the dollar,” she said.
Teachers already do more with less. They serve as classroom advisors, coach sports teams and run programs after school. Rickson heard that her staff feel burnt out. So, she’s sending the message to her staff that not only is their hard work noticed, but appreciated.
“We have a brand new principal at the elementary school who has done a tremendous job really trying to increase the morale, because that’s really important for us,” Rickson said. “She brought in little orange crushed soda that said ‘You’re crushing it.’ She brought in some pastry for them. She’s always sending out messages to them, really trying to embrace positivity.”
Community schools
The Granby community, Rickson said, keeps the small town’s public school system afloat. In gratitude for their support, Rickson plans to increase community access to the two buildings she oversees.
“I’m trying to open the schools up a little more to offer more things for families,” she said. “I want people to come in. They pay their taxes. The school is open for them.”
Already, Granby Public Schools collaborates with the town’s Cultural Council for art shows and special events. Rickson is thinking about bringing senior citizens into the schools to read to students, or providing them free lunches once a month. In the face of shrinking family centers, after-school playgroups for toddlers could take place after school.
“The more we can garner support for what’s happening here, then that really does help with our funding in the future,” Rickson said. “But really this is not 700 students’ building, this is the town’s building. We need to let them know that this is yours, and you belong here.”
Rickson got the call to pursue education while taking a couple teaching classes to fill her credit requirements in undergrad. She started her career as a history teacher in Springfield Public Schools, then switched into administration.
“I didn’t like it at first because I felt that was very far removed, but that’s up to you as a person to become ingrained. … As an assistant principal, I sat down with the students at lunch,” Rickson said. “When I first started, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it because I didn’t like seeing that side of the students. The only time [students] came to me is when there was trouble and I didn’t like that. But I think really building those relationships is important, and I think you can do a lot of good as an administrator to help students.”