Annie Azarloza 'excited' to be chosen as next Rochester, NH school superintendent

ROCHESTER — At a special meeting Monday night, the School Board selected Annie Azarloza to be the next superintendent for the Rochester School District.

Azarloza, was chosen from a field of five candidates. Details of her contract are being negotiated and both sides say they are confident in their choice. Azarloza said her salary will be $170,000. She is poised to replace current Superintendent Kyle Repucci, who announced late last year he would be leaving Rochester schools at the end of June 2024.

“I am honored to serve this remarkable community," said Azarloza, on Monday after the announcement of her selection. "As we embark on this journey together, I look forward to building strong partnerships with parents, teachers, staff, and the wider community on behalf of the children and families that we serve.”

The Rochester School Board announced the selection of Azarloza on Tuesday. In a prepared statement, the board indicated that, pending successful negotiations, she will assume the superintendent’s role beginning July 1.

"I plan to be in here and there before that," said Azarloza, reached by phone. "I want to take some time to meet with the community members, parents and to get a better feel of the city. I would like to live here. I grew up in Attleboro, Mass., a small community and I like that small town feel. When I was here, it felt like home. I was looking for that small community feeling and I think I found it."

Azarloza is currently the chief academic support officer for Worcester Public Schools, the second largest schooldistrict in New England with 25,000 students and 50 schools. She said she led the following divisions: special education, culture and climate (which includes social-emotional learning and district-wide discipline), nursing,positive youth development and alternative education.

Azarloza brings 20 years of experience to the position, having worked previously in a number of roles, including deputy director, director of program development, and evaluation and instructional leader.

“We feel confident that Annie can guide the Rochester Public Schools into the future and look forward to working collaboratively with her for the benefit of all of our students," said Rochester School Board Chair Shane Downs. "On behalf of the School Board, I would like to thank all of the members of our Rochester community who followed and participated in the search process. It was important to us as a board that community participation be an integral part of our search.”

Downs said they will work out the details this week and sign a contract, which will be available after it has been finalized.

"I am excited," she said. "I love where I am now and I learned a lot, gained a lot of experience, being in such a large district. But in a smaller district, you get to build relationships with the parents, the staff you get to know kids by name. I love that."

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Rochester, NH names Annie Azarloza next school superintendent