HOLYOKE — One of Holyoke’s own has become the next leader of the city’s public schools

On Wednesday, the state’s education commissioner appointed Anthony Soto as the receiver-superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) — a role he had held on an interim basis since the state, in a still-unexplained move, asked former receiver-superintendent Alberto Vázquez Matos to resign in March.

An HPS graduate and Holyoke native, Soto served as chief finance and operations officer in the district since 2016 and previously worked for a decade as a financial analyst and budget director in Springfield Public Schools.

“I think I was a little shocked the first time around when I was appointed acting because it was completely unexpected,” Soto said in a phone interview Thursday. “This time I was a little more prepared … It was an overwhelming sense of joy.”

Soto signed a three-year contract, which went into effect Thursday. He will be paid $209,000 yearly, with the possibility of up to 4% raises in the second year and third years of the contract.

Soto was the salutatorian when he graduated from William J. Dean Technical High School in 1999. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and worked in public accounting for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and a smaller regional firm before joining Springfield Public Schools.

Soto was also an inaugural fellow in the “Influence 100” program run by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE. The program is intended to prepare participants for jobs as school superintendents.

For people in the community, however, Soto said with a laugh that he’s still known as “Rosa’s son.” Born in Holyoke and raised in the Churchill neighborhood, his mom is a longtime employee at the Department of Transitional Assistance and his dad, Armando, has been a printing press operator at Hadley Printing.

“They were really proud,” Soto said of his parents’ reaction to his appointment as head of HPS. He said his dad was speechless when he first told him the news. “He knows I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity and do right by our students.”

In an appointment letter signed Wednesday, state Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey Riley said that after outreach to district stakeholders there was “overwhelming support” for Soto’s appointment. He said he looked forward to supporting Soto in the role.

“I appreciate and wish to acknowledge the work that Mr. Soto has done with the leaders, staff, and community in Holyoke to continue to implement the district turnaround plan and complete the school year safely and effectively, including bringing students back to in-person learning this spring,” Riley wrote.

Soto said that his first priority will be getting students back into school in the fall. He said that only 56% of students came back for in-person learning this year.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming our students and providing them with all the support they need to get back in their routines,” Soto said.

Other steps Soto said he plans to take include reviewing the district’s strategic plan and turnaround plan after engaging the public and district staffers for feedback. He said his style is to listen to others before making any decisions, and that he is surrounded by talented leaders who he trusts and respects.

“This district isn’t about Anthony Soto the receiver,” he said. “We have a very strong team in place … I have a lot of people around me who can give me really good advice.”

The state stepped in and took over Holyoke schools in 2015. Under state receivership, the district is led by a state-appointed receiver-superintendent who has the powers that are normally split between a superintendent and an elected school committee.

Acting Mayor Terence Murphy, who chairs the School Committee, said that he has known Soto since he was a teenager and that he is a “class act” who will work hard with the entire community. He said he hopes that having a city native in the role will bring the state closer to providing a concrete timeline for the district exiting receivership.

“He builds a bridge back to Holyoke,” Murphy said. “He’s also already earned the respect of the community that has to make decisions along with him.”

School Committee Vice Chair Mildred Lefebvre said Thursday that the School Committee is pleased with Soto’s appointment and that members are looking forward to working with him and HPS staff to continue providing equitable education to all of the city’s students.

“In respect to regaining back local control, that’s something the school committee is working on diligently with DESE and more of that will be coming up throughout this year,” Lefebvre said.

Stephen Zrike served as receiver-superintendent from 2015 to 2020, when he took a job as superintendent of Salem Public Schools. In April 2020, the state hired Vázquez Matos, the deputy superintendent of public schools in Hartford, Connecticut, who had previously served as chief of staff to the superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida.

In March, however, Vázquez Matos resigned a month after he went on paid leave following a School Committee meeting in which he told the committee that he had contracted COVID-19.

The state has provided no explanation for Vázquez Matos’ departure, though a separation agreement obtained by Holyoke Media showed that the state had asked him to resign, paying him $102,500 in severance.

Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.]]>