By Carol Britton Meyer

As he prepares for the start of the 2025-26 school year, Superintendent of Schools Michael Jette reflected on his first year leading the Hull Public Schools.

What has impressed him most is how “incredibly welcoming” the Hull community has been to him and his family.

“There are families who have lived her for generations, and yet they embrace people who are new to town, including me in my professional role and also my family,” he said.

Jette’s first goal was “to listen and learn about the community, which I did every opportunity I had,” Jette told The Hull Times.

The result was a great deal of relationship-building and enhanced communication among Hull Public Schools staff, administrators, students, parents, and the community during challenging times, among other accomplishments. In addition, a new administrative team was hired at the high school “to push it forward.”

‘School committee is functioning at a high level’

In addition, “the school committee is functioning at a high level and working closely with HPS administrators,” Jette said.

Now that he’s more familiar with the rhythm of how HPS operates, he said he can “start putting my own fingerprint on things, which hopefully will be a value add, working with the administrative team to make some improvements.”

Throughout the new school year, there will be a focus on developing a five-year strategic plan for the HPS, “laying out a map of what the future of HPS will look like and a plan to keep the needle moving toward continued improvements.”

School committee Chair Kyle Conley had high praise for Jette.

“Overall, Dr. Jette has been a fantastic fit for our district. He has quickly become a unifying force in our schools,” Conley said. “In his first year, Superintendent Jette has focused on listening to the community and putting students and staff first. This has helped build trust and make decisions that reflect the needs of our schools.”

A recent open house for real estate agents arranged by the school district was an effort to attract more families to Hull in light of continuing low school enrollment “to let them know that Hull is a hidden gem,” Jette said.

“Declining enrollment is something I and the administrative team are wrestling with, and this is something that other schools in the Commonwealth are also struggling with,” he said. “We want to maintain good programs for students, but no matter how you slice it, fewer students results in diminished opportunities, because there may not be enough athletes to play on a particular sports team or enough students to enroll in a music program.”

Jette said consultants hired by real estate agents have a system whereby they rate properties they list based on academic achievement, quality of life, walkability, and other factors that are used to define a community to help potential homebuyers make decisions about where to live.

Going by that criteria, Hull ranks at 7 out of 10 possible points. “That’s good compared with some other communities in the state, although I would like to see it become higher,” Jette said. “I would encourage real estate agents to look beyond the scores and to recognize the benefits we offer in terms of small class sizes, individualized instruction, and the unique ability to meet students were they are – qualities that aren’t always reflected in a raw score.”

Hull’s ‘relaxed lifestyle and beautiful views’

In addition, some families may be attracted to Hull “for its more relaxed lifestyle and beautiful views, including the Boston skyline and sunrises and sunsets,” he said.

Jette was hired when the last phase of the consolidation plan for the schools was about to be implemented, and he is pleased with the smooth transition.

Accomplishments of school administrators include finding ways to create new traditions to help eighth-graders who are now at the high school rather than the middle school feel comfortable – and the same for students who will miss the Memorial Middle School experience all together, as the building is being repurposed under the consolidation plan.

Beginning with the last school year, Jacobs School now houses grades PreK to 7 and the high school, grades 8 to 12.

“It was a very smart play to get everyone in the spaces where they needed to be,” Jette said.

Stable school environment

Hull is set apart because the district is small and class sizes low, administrators and teachers have the ability to be responsive to individual needs, he said.

“We also don’t have a lot of students coming and going, because they tend to be enrolled in our schools at an early age and for the most part stay with HPS, which gives us the ability to get to know them and to be adaptive to their needs,” he said. “A stable school environment helps students achieve the growth we want to see.”

As MCAS exams are no longer being graduation requirement, Jette said he was pleased to see that not many students opted out. “The results aren’t in yet, but when they are, we will do a deeper dive” as state and local school officials decide what graduates will now be required to know and perform.

Jette doesn’t expect uncertainty about education funding at the federal level to have much of an impact on the Hull schools, although he is concerned about the funding hold on certain programs.

Superintendent michael jetTe with family members Claudia,, Mariana, and Catalina on VACATion.

“We’re continuing to pay attention, but fortunately the Commonwealth places a high value on public education, and even families in Hull without children in the schools now or before appreciate an educated population,” he said. “These are values that transcend all the federal level considerations. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and see what comes out of it.”

‘We do what’s right for the kids’

With regard to diversity, equity, inclusion policies, Hull is known for the sense of belonging it offers to all students – “something that is not dependent on federal programming,” he said. “We do what’s right for the kids – educate them all and have them feel that they are a part of the school community.”

Among Jette’s long-term goals is focusing on how to continue to elevate HPS teaching and learning practices “and doing what’s best for individual students.

“I would like to see every student engaged in some co-curricular activity – whether theater, sports, or something else – and to ensure our rich offerings are available to everyone,” he said.
“While this is a challenge with declining enrollment, we’ll keep talking about it.”

It also is important to focus on the condition of the schools, which were all renovated in the early 2000s, he said: “We want to be proactive rather than reactive.”

When asked what in his eyes makes Hull unique, Jette pointed to “the small-town feel within sight of the Boston skyline, with no chain businesses, except for Dunkin’, and a wonderful local ‘old-school’ market and pharmacy. That said, Dunkin’ is a friendly local shop, with a unique location and atmosphere.”

In his spare time, Jette enjoys sitting on the beach and using two airplane and ship apps to track planes heading to and from Logan and track cruise ships and large oil tankers off shore for fun.

Praise for superintendent’s performance

Vice Chair Liliana Hedrick said Jette joined the Hull schools “at the perfect time, bringing with him not only a wealth of experience, but also a genuine commitment to becoming part of our community. He and his family have put down roots in Hull and quickly immersed themselves in both our schools and the wider town.”

“Dr. Jette has made it a priority to engage with families, staff, and community members, taking the time to truly understand the unique character of our town and the educational and staffing needs we face.,” Hedrick said. “His calm and collaborative leadership style has already begun to foster a more unified and student-centered environment.”

One standout initiative has been his focus on enrollment.

“Dr. Jette has actively partnered with local realtors to help promote the many strengths of our district, ensuring that more families learn about the opportunities Hull Public Schools provide,” she said.

It has been “a busy and productive year, and I look forward to the continued growth and progress ahead under Dr. Jette’s leadership,” Hedrick said.

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