October 2026 - A letter from Clerk of the School Committee, Steve Bacher, to the NFS Community

Dear Friends,

 

On behalf of the Newtown Friends School Committee, I write to express my support and admiration for Dana, and his decision to retire as Head of School at the close of the 2027-2028 school year.

 

As Dana notes in his attached letter, at that time he will have served 18 years in this position, which is truly extraordinary – the average tenure of an independent school Head of School is seven years.

 

I am grateful for Dana’s exemplary service to the school community, which is always above and beyond, in ways too numerous to capture here. I look forward to commemorating his legacy with celebrations in spring 2028.

 

I am also grateful for his giving notice in advance of two full school years, enabling the School Committee to conduct a thorough, thoughtful search for his successor.

 

Dana has already provided guidance to the School Committee regarding best practices for such a search. In the coming months, the School Committee will engage a search firm with experience recruiting independent school, and particularly Quaker school, heads of school. With the approval of the School Committee, I will appoint a Search Committee to guide the process along with the consultants and narrow down candidates.

 

Ultimately, finalists will visit the school in fall of 2027 and meet with faculty, staff, parents and School Committee members, who will provide feedback to the Search Committee.  The Search Committee will make a recommendation to the School Committee, who will make the final hiring decision. We anticipate announcing the new Head of School in Fall 2027, giving them sufficient time to visit NFS several times during the 2027-2028 school year before their tenure begins on July 1, 2028.

 

I will communicate with you on an ongoing basis during this process.

 

Together, we will uphold the mission of Newtown Friends School: to provide a dynamic curriculum through which students learn to think critically, collaborate peacefully, communicate effectively, and lead with character and compassion. Rooted in Quaker values, the rigorous education at Newtown Friends School will continue to instill the confidence and conviction to succeed in a changing world.

 

Thank you for being an essential part of the Newtown Friends School community, whether as a parent, faculty member, administrator, staff member or other friend of the school.

 

In Peace,

School Committee Clerk