School Committee picks Azarloza as superintendent

School Committee · Meeting of April 29, 2026

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton School Committee selected Anna Maria Azarloza as the district's next superintendent, with six votes to three for Thomas Dennehy and one for Bethany Silver. Mayor and Chair Gina-Louise Sciarra presided as members debated a prior investigation report involving Azarloza, with Member Cindy Mahoney praising her community visibility and Member Alena Bartoli saying Azarloza "has begun a conversation" by disclosing it, while another member voiced concern about taking on "that kind of risk." A community survey of about 70 respondents had ranked Azarloza first. The committee first rejected a renewed straw-poll motion, with four members in favor, five opposed and one abstaining, then adopted a roll-call voting procedure 9-0, with one abstention.

It voted 10-0 to authorize contract negotiations, contingent on a background check, before entering executive session.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Northampton's community access TV: School Committee meeting, April 30, 2026
• The complete report: 779 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of April 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.