REGION – Robert “Bob” Thibault has been announced as the incoming Superintendent for Windham Central Supervisory Union (WCSU), to replace outgoing Superintendent William Anton, who has served in the role since 2015. Thibault will begin his tenure as Superintendent in July of 2023.
Thibault, who is the current principal at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School, has been involved in Vermont education since 1989 when he was a student at the University of Vermont. He obtained a B.A. in history before teaching social studies at Leland & Gray, where he spent seven years. In 2002, he obtained an MEd in educational leadership from UVM. He was then the assistant principal at Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Massachusetts and principal at Springfield (VT) High School before returning to Leland & Gray, where he has served as principal for the past seven years. Thibault was named Principal of the Year in 2015 and was the 2019–2021 President of the Vermont Principals’ Association, where he currently sits on the Executive Council.
Anton stated, “Bob is an excellent selection to be the next Superintendent for the WCSU. He is an inclusive leader who values all voices, especially student voices. I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Bob for the last six-plus years and I can’t think of a better person to lead our Windham Central communities. The future is certainly bright for the WCSU.”
Thibault said that he sees “education as a way to build an informed citizenry that can ensure our rural communities have the means to contribute positively to the world. Education can help break the generational cycles of poverty by exposing our young people to more opportunities and developing skills they will need to be successful adults. Public education, because it is for everyone, bolsters the entire community.”
Windham Central Supervisory Union includes schools within the West River Education District (NewBrook School, Jamaica Village School, Townshend Elementary and Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School) and serves the towns of Wardsboro, Marlboro, Dover, Windham, and Stratton. Thibault is eager to expand his knowledge about the people and culture at each school and aims to ensure that schools can uniquely implement their curriculum and programs, while being supported within the SU. “There is a lot of wisdom to share,” Thibault says. “For example, Dover Elementary has an International Baccalaureate program, and at L&G we are seeing a lot of success with our Project Based Learning curriculum. These programs might be good opportunities for kids elsewhere in the Supervisory Union. We will certainly continue to focus on elementary-aged literacy, knowing that a solid foundation leads to later academic success.”
Rich Werner, who chairs the board of the Supervisory Union and was part of the hiring committee, was very impressed by Thibault in the interview process, and commented that “Bob is not a person who will come in and redo everything in places where people are thriving. He comes to the board with an open mind and is ready to listen. He is an inspiration for all of us in the SU.”