In this episode of Little Wins, we meet Dr. Vito Perrone, superintendent of five small, distinct school districts in Western Massachusetts. In his first year at the helm of this uniquely complex and collaborative setup, Dr. Perrone brought a clear focus on people-first leadership, relationship-building, and transparent communication.

Karen and Dr. Perrone dig into what it means to lead through connection in a system with five school committees, five sets of community dynamics, and five unique educational cultures. From building a central office team from scratch to establishing trust across communities, Dr. Perrone shares practical strategies—like his “Four Cs,” central office roadshows, and even a school-leader-themed newsletter—that help shape a culture of compassion, collaboration, and presence.

This conversation is packed with transferable ideas for any school or district leader, and a reminder that showing up—literally and figuratively—is where real change begins.

💡 Little Wins in This Episode:

1. The Central Office Roadshow: With no unified convocation possible across five districts, Dr. Perrone and his team hit the road to deliver presentations at every school—starting each one with a word cloud generated from staff feedback. A small act with big impact: “We heard you.”

   
   

2. Three Words on a Whiteboard: “How can I help? Who needs to know? Was it confirmed?” These simple, guiding questions sit on a whiteboard in Dr. Perrone’s office—and quietly shape how he leads every day.

   
   

3. Making Goals Actually Matter:  By anchoring strategic plans to educator goals, school improvement plans, and his own leadership objectives, Dr. Perrone keeps vision tied to daily action—and insists that goals be relevant, authentic, and lived, not shelved.

   
   

4. Being Known by Kindergarteners: When a kindergartener pointed him out to her mom as “Dr. Perrone, the superintendent,” it was more than a cute moment. It was a testament to his visible, felt presence across all schools.

   
   

5. Listening, Even When the Answer Is No: Whether it’s through Google Forms or face-to-face conversations, Dr. Perrone makes a habit of hearing feedback—and letting people know how (or why not) he’s acting on it. Transparency as trust-building.

Key Moments

05:35 Building Trust Between Schools and Towns

08:38 "Building Trust and Collaboration"

10:44 "Feeling Others' Perspectives"

16:06 Goal Execution through Stakeholder Engagement

18:01 Empowering Team Through Communication

21:00 Engaging Complex Educational Communities

25:13 Engaged School Community Presence

26:21 "Feedback Acknowledgment Challenges"

30:08 "Superintendent Recognition Moment"

33:57 Massachusetts Fiscal Challenges

37:16 Correctional Education and Recidivism

39:41 Superintendent's Renewed School Engagement

42:13 "Thoughtful Leadership Insights Shared"

Connect with Dr. Vito Perrone

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vito-perrone-662b6853

Follow Us

Karen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenborchert

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Alpaca Resources Library: https://www.getalpaca.com/resources-library 

🧵 About the Podcast:

Little Wins is the podcast that digs into the small, deliberate actions school leaders are taking to build strong, human-centered cultures, one meaningful win at a time.

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