RSU 12 Superintendent Howard Tuttle (left) accepts the Maine Superintendent of the Year Award from last years winner, Jonathan Moody, at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Public schools the American public school system is like no other in the world. Its the backbone of our democracy, Tuttle said. (Molly Rains photo)
To Howard Tuttle, superintendent of RSU 12, school leadership is all about teamwork, creativity, patience, and communication.
It’s also, sometimes, about dressing up as a duck to attend a student fun run, which is what Tuttle planned to do the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 23 if he hadn’t been accepting the prestigious Superintendent of the Year Award during the Maine School Superintendents Association’s annual meeting at the Augusta Civic Center.
“It’s quite an honor,” said Tuttle on Tuesday, Oct. 22. “I hope that it highlights all the wonderful things that are going on in RSU 12, and all the things we’ve accomplished.”
Tuttle, who is originally from Connecticut, has held the role of RSU 12 superintendent since 2013. His career before then spanned many roles in education, from camp counselor to mathematics teacher, elementary school principal, and, immediately prior to his arrival in RSU 12, curriculum director in Gardiner.
As a young teacher, Tuttle enjoyed joining committees and taking on leadership roles. Tuttle identified himself as a problem solver and team player, inclinations that led him naturally, he said, to take on administration roles.
“To me, it’s kind of a giant puzzle – bringing folks together,” Tuttle said. “I like bringing people together to improve things.”
Tuttle’s problem-solving nature was immediately handy in RSU 12, which was a young district when he stepped into the role of superintendent. The district, which comprises Alna, Chelsea, Palermo, Somerville, Westport Island, Whitefield, and Windsor, was formed in 2009. At the time, it also included Wiscasset.
Previously, these towns had operated independently. All had strong local cultures, creating an administrative challenge for the hopeful RSU 12 team.
“When RSU 12 was first born, right in 2009, I generally have the impression that not everybody was excited about the idea,” Tuttle said.
However, with the exception of Wiscasset, all other towns ultimately remained unified within RSU 12, an outcome that Tuttle called “an accomplishment in itself.”
Effective communication among the member communities, strong board leadership, and flexibility allowed RSU 12 to “experiment” and remain strong as it found its footing, Tuttle said, and ultimately the collaboration has paid off.
Tuttle identified some of RSU 12’s successful district-wide programs as some of the accomplishments he is most proud of.
One of these is RSU 12’s pre-kindergarten program, which began in 2016. Pre-K levels the playing field for families and improves educational outcomes down the line, Tuttle said.
The program offers full-day care and instruction for 4-year-old children, who are also offered transportation, Tuttle said. It is offered to all families in the district.
“Anybody can go to it, and not too many districts can say that. That was a ton of work by a lot of people,” Tuttle said.
Another point of pride regarding the program, he added, concerned its funding model, which, running off federal funding through Head Start and state subsidy, does not impact local education budgets.
Other career highlights for Tuttle include RSU 12’s participation in the Local Foods for Schools program, which he said the district has utilized to bring healthy, whole foods to its students with the help of Mike Flynn, the district’s executive chef and nutrition director.
RSU 12 also piloted an anti-bullying committee and district-wide program, including a framework for collecting data about student behavior, in 2018. Tuttle said the success of this program is another source of pride.
“It seems to be really working,” Tuttle said.
Helping lead the district, according to Tuttle, has meant striving to make as much impact on students as possible with what resources are available.
“It’s super important to me that we have a school system where all students are learning, all students are growing. Everybody is getting what they need as much as we possibly can with the funding we have. It means a lot of creativity, a lot of patience, a lot of respect for each other, and assuming positivity from one another,” he said.
Tuttle regularly travels around to the different towns within RSU 12, aiming to visit each select board at least once a year to present a rundown of the education budget in what he referred to as “the road show.”
His commitment to communication and fostering teamwork, according to members of the RSU 12 Board of Directors, are a large factor in his success as a leader.
“He is considerate of those he interacts with and deliberate in the positive cultural environment he sets for RSU 12,” said school board member Mary Coventry.
Fellow school board member Russell Gates pointed to Tuttle’s “positive demeanor and influence.”
Tuttle’s genuine interest in the day-to-day operations of his schools places him within a “rare group of school leaders,” said Whitefield Elementary School Principal Mark Deblois.
Tuttle acknowledged that schools are complicated places, and credited his team with helping create the educational environment that allowed RSU 12 to thrive.
“The main reason why I think I’m getting this award is, honestly, because I’ve got a really supportive team behind me – the school board, my administrative team, and all the staff of RSU 12. The community is just super important,” he said.
Tuttle accepted his award at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday morning before family, RSU 12 community members, and representatives from the Maine School Management Association.
Tuttle is the vice president of the Midcoast Superintendents Association and a longtime member of the Maine School Superintendents Association’s funding committee.
He lives in Bowdoinham with his wife. The couple has two college-age children.
