Q: With the new budget plan and overflowing enrollment in other schools, is there increased pressure to expand the size of our student body?

A: The school board has capped our enrollment. I can’t say they’ll never increase the cap, but I pressed the issue when we were planning for our renovation. I don’t want to see an- other trailer when this thing is over. I was very explicit: if you intend on increasing the enrollment, then we have to build a school to accommodate that. We’re going to keep it steady.

Q: What role does Jefferson play in the superintendent search?

A: There’s no opportunity to vote. Usually they’ll do some polling and then there are a lot of private meetings with the school board to delegate the finalists. Once we get the finalists, it’s a very public process. They may even have town hall meetings.

Q: Are we taking any additional measures to ensure the safety of students throughout the renovation procedures?

A: First off, there really shouldn’t be any crossover between students and contractors. Once the construction starts, parts of the building will be zoned off, so that the students never see a contractor.

All contractors who might have contact with students need to have a common badge. We’ve set in motion a campaign through multiple venues to remind students that they shouldn’t be opening doors to strangers.

Q: Would you ever consider placing buzzers at doors, as in middle schools?

A: I think that would be very difficult to manage. If you look carefully at the renovation plans, instead of one door, there’s a double door. When you go through the school atrium, the only doors that will be open will be the ones that go through the front office.

In the short term, we make sure that during very active times of the day, we position ourselves to be very visible all throughout the school.

Q: How do you feel about administrators having access to weapons or storing them in their office? Would you feel comfortable?

A: It requires a trained marksman to be effective with a weapon, and I would prefer that our police officers are trained marksmen. Even if someone had a weapon and you asked them to aim, there’s a high likelihood they would miss, so no, absolutely not.

Q: Are cameras becoming more likely with the renovation?

A: They are likely in highly visible areas that would be accessible to the public. Our whole community will know that there’s a camera there. They would be in certain places where we have a high amount of people coming from the outside, but people wouldn’t see those until about 2016.

Q: How have we been progressing in the math department?

A: The proportion of students who are having difficulty has gone down. We’ve hired an interventions specialist whose purpose is to help monitor students so they get the support they need. The broader question is: Is this just an aberration, or are we noticing a general trend?

There is one troubling aspect. There’s a larger percentage of students going into AB Calculus. There’s a street perception that BC Calculus is a daunting course. That is a concern of mine. I want students selecting the most challenging math courses available to them.

(This article originally appeared in the January 25, 2013 print edition.)