Brookline’s deputy superintendent for administration and finance, Susan Givens, will retire at the end of the school year, superintendent Bella Wong announced last week.
Givens, who came to Brookline in 2023, is currently the longest-serving member of the Public Schools of Brookline’s senior leadership.
“All of us owe a huge debt of gratitude for the expertise she has brought to her role as deputy superintendent … especially at this time of need of financial acumen and capacity to plan out multiple years across multiple facets of our system,” Wong said.
As one of three deputies to the superintendent, the deputy superintendent of administration and finance is responsible for managing the district’s “human, capital and financial” resources, according to a job listing for Givens’ replacement. The deputy superintendent also provides data and analysis for long-term planning and decision-making, the listing states. It was posted on March 26 and lists a deadline of April 9 for applications.
Givens was on medical leave from late December through January, Wong said at a School Committee meeting in late January. She did not elaborate on Givens’ reason for retiring, and Givens did not respond to a request for comment.
Givens managed the district’s finances during a period of financial strife and high leadership turnover in Brookline’s schools.
School Committee member Jesse Hefter said at a School Committee meeting last week that Brookline is “the most blessed district in Massachusetts” to have Givens leading the district’s financial management.
“Her resilience in meeting what had to be done under incredible pressure is even more respected and dignified given some situations in her personal life,” Hefter said.
Givens was also at the center of a recent financial controversy.
The district’s former finance director is suing the district and the town, alleging that she was illegally fired after Givens asked her to falsify financial information and retaliated against her when she refused to do so. The district has denied the allegation. Both Givens and Wong have declined to comment, citing a district policy of not speaking about pending litigation.