City Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Annie Azarloza
2,382 Northampton students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Annie Azarloza became superintendent on July 1, 2026, chosen by the School Committee at a special meeting on April 30. She started school in Los Angeles as an English language learner, the daughter of Cuban parents, which means the newest students in the district’s English learner programs are walking a road their superintendent has walked. She began her teaching career in 2005 and has worked at every level of public education, including a superintendency in New Hampshire, before coming back to Massachusetts for this job. The mechanics of the office matter more than the title: the superintendent proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, runs the schools day to day, and reports to the ten-member School Committee that hired her and can evaluate her every year. When she arrived she told a local reporter that people had warned her Northampton is a highly engaged community, and that this is exactly why she chose it. That is an invitation.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools |
|---|---|
| In office | Since July 1, 2026 |
| District office | 212 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Northampton, MA 01060 |
| Phone | 413-587-1331 |
The School Committee
The Northampton School Committee has ten seats, and the chair belongs to the Mayor. Seven members are elected by ward and two at large, and the Mayor holds the tenth seat and chairs the committee by virtue of the office, a rule written into the city charter. That detail is worth a second look: the same person who submits the city budget also chairs the body that shapes the school budget, so school funding questions in Northampton always have a direct line to City Hall. The committee hires and evaluates the Superintendent, approves the school budget, and sets the policies that govern 2,382 students across six schools.
Gina-Louise Sciarra
Alena Bartoli
Anat Weisenfreund
Renika Montgomery-Tamakloe
Michael Stein
Amy Martyn
Cynthia Mahoney
Valerie Reiss
Tiffany Jewell
Roberta Saner Sullivan
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: 2,382 students.
- Schools: six. Bridge Street, Jackson Street, Leeds, and R. K. Finn Ryan Road elementary schools, John F. Kennedy Middle School, and Northampton High School.
- Graduation rate: 92.4 percent for the most recent reported four-year cohort.
- State data: DESE profile (code 02100000).
Northampton is also home to Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, a separate public school district with its own elected Board of Trustees. The Mayor serves as a trustee there too.
Meetings & Participation
- When: the committee meets on the second Thursday of the month.
- Public comment: residents may address the committee. Check the posted agenda for sign-up details.
- Why it matters: if a course got cut, a bus route stopped working, or the middle school schedule changed, these ten people are the ones who can undo it.
- Contact: Northampton Public Schools, 413-587-1331.
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