Dr. Mario Andrade

The Nashua Board of Education approved, by a 6-2-1 vote, the hiring of Dr. Mario Andrade to serve as the next Superintendent of Schools for the Nashua School District. The vote took place at a special meeting May 26. Dr. Andrade will replace Dr. Garth McKinney, who has served in an interim capacity since the departure of former superintendent Jahmal Mosley in late January 2021.

Board members Neil Claffey and Paula Johnson cast the nay votes; member Christina Darling was absent.

“We are confident in Dr. Andrade’s leadership,” said Jennifer Bishop, president of the Nashua Board of Education. “His commitment to public education, his senior administrative experience, and his firsthand knowledge of the Nashua School District make him the ideal candidate to lead our schools.”

Andrade served in three roles in the Nashua School District during the 2020-2021 school year, first as an assistant principal at Nashua High School South, then principal at Elm Street Middle School, and finally as Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools, each in an interim capacity.

“I want to thank the Board for having faith in me,” says Andrade said. “It is truly an honor and privilege to support the students and adults in the Nashua School community as the Superintendent of Schools. As an interim administrator in Nashua, I had the great fortune to learn with and from not only the talented, dedicated educators, administrators, and support staff across the district but also the remarkable students. I look forward to partnering with them once again as well as the greater Nashua School community to implement the Strategic Plan and strengthen the ‘Gateway to Opportunity’ for all students.”

Andrade is currently an independent consultant for Learning Science International, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Andrade earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Connecticut, Storrs; a Master of Science in Special Education from Simmons College, Boston; and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University, Providence. He is certified to serve as a superintendent of schools in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

The Nashua Board of Education is offering Andrade a three-year contract, with starting salary of $172,500, that begins July 1, 2022.

Bishop, the board president, sent a letter to Nashua School District families and staff, announcing the date of the special Nashua Board of Education meeting to approve the hiring of Andrade. Because the final weeks of school are busy, the board plans to host a meet-and-greet for NSD families, staff, and community members once the new school year begins.