LAKEVILLE — While students learn their ABC’s and 1-2-3’s, new Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District Superintendent Alan Strauss focuses on the 5 P’s.

“Prior preparation prevents poor performance.’’

That philosophy guides him as he begins his first full school year as the school district’s top leader since coming aboard in April.

Getting set to lead the district involves serious preparation, he said. He plans to spend a lot of time meeting with people and learning their concerns before taking any serious actions.

He has been meeting with and will continue to reach out to parents, students, staff, town officials and the general public to figure out what the community feels works well and what might need improvement.

Making connections with the school community is especially vital, he said. 

“The most important stakeholders are the ones who work with our kids, our teachers, staff, nurses, principals,’’ he said. 

Students at all grade levels will also have a voice, he said. “I can’t wait to meet with first and second graders and see what they like about school and what they would like to do differently,’’ he said with a smile. 

He also hopes to create a superintendent’s council of students from various grade levels to share their opinions.

He knows one step he won’t be taking: Making immediate changes for the sake of change, strictly to flex his administrative muscle.

“Those who come from the outside too often try to make monumental changes when they don’t even understand the foundation,’’ he said. He described this approach as “ludicrous.’’

“I don’t believe we can create any kind of change if we haven’t built solid relationships, and that takes time,’’ he said.

With that information gleaned from these interactions, he will develop a multi-year plan to strengthen the district. But that can only happen, he noted, “after we’ve really prepared.’’

Strauss has worked in education his entire career. He worked as a teacher and coach in several Connecticut districts, including Weston, Naugatuck and Windsor, Ct. He was named Connecticut high school principal of the year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 2016-2017.

He most recently worked as principal and district coordinator for equity and inclusion in the Weymouth school system before accepting the Freetown-Lakeville position in the spring. 

He was immediately taken with Freetown and Lakeville. “It felt like home,’’ he said.

The community is “very down home, with solid roots, pro education and fiscally smart.’’

He acknowledged that, in the wake of Covid, education has changed. “We’re not mentioning that five-letter word, but we’re still feeling the effects,’’ he said.

“We have third graders who have never been in school’’ in a traditional setting, he said.

But rather than automatically saying that students are behind, the district should “delve into’’ each student as an individual and how to best support each of them.

“We need to prepare our teachers and paraprofessionals to be able to manage all of it,’’ he said.

He promises to keep an open line of communication with the school community, “My door is always open,’’ he said. “Visibility is important to me.’’

“We may not always give the response people want to hear, but we’re always going to give the most transparent and fair response,’’ he said.

He hopes the district will be seen as a “lighthouse’’ that serves as a shining example.

“It’s about our community getting the most relevant, rigorous, personalized and positive educational experience,’’ he said. 

Two words also guide his educational philosophy, he pointed out. “It’s all about joy and kindness.’’