HUDSON – While his roots are in New Hampshire, Larry Russell, the Hudson School District’s next superintendent, brings a lifetime of experience in a variety of roles and environments.

Russell, who is the school district’s director of special services, was chosen by unanimous vote by the town school board on Jan. 19 to take on the new role as superintendent.

Born into a military family in Limestone, Maine, Russell said he lived in a variety of locations as a child, including Taiwan, before settling in Merrimack when his father retired to become an air traffic controller in Nashua.

Russell studied education at the University of Notre Dame, and began his career with a one-year stint as a teacher in Manchester, until he decided he needed a respite from the cold.

"I was on my way to a meeting," Russell said, "and I stepped on ice, and before I hit the ground, I said, ‘I am out of here.’?"

So, he took a job as a special education teacher in one of the fastest-growing districts in the country.

"I think having the experience of working in the fifth-largest school district in the country, which is Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nev., gives me a lot of perspective on innovation and diversity, and things of that nature," Russell said.

He would go on to become the principal of Monaco Middle School in Las Vegas, and would later serve as an assistant superintendent of schools in Livingston, N.J., which he described as a high socioeconomic environment with greater academic rigor.

Russell began his education in the 1960s, when there was still segregation, but said he grew up outside that reality because there was no segregation in the military.

"I grew up in a very diverse atmosphere, and it didn’t even strike me until we got out of the military that that type of bias even existed," Russell said.

He said he wants to help bring his understanding of diversity into the district.

"Diversity comes in many forms," he said. "It’s not just ethnicity or socioeconomic diversity; there’s many forms of it."

Technology, he said, is one means of introducing diverse perspectives into the classroom, though he said it is a double-edged sword.

"We have social media, which can be very good, but it also can be harmful, too," he said.

Russell said that while social media should be monitored in a school environment, it shouldn’t be restricted.

On the subject of Common Core State Standards, which determine what New Hampshire students are required to learn in public schools, he said some aspects are ineffective, but that they are beneficial as a whole because they hold schools accountable for a certain level of academic rigor.

"I think that if you bring up expectations for students, they’ll often rise to the occasion," he said.

Russell also is an advocate for full-day kindergarten in New Hampshire public schools.

"I do understand the cost of it," he said. "I know that in Hudson, if we went to full-day kindergarten, it would double the kindergarten staff, which is significant … but I do believe kindergarten does provide the foundation for going into elementary school."

A bill that would provide state funding for full-day kindergarten is currently being heard by the House Education Committee.

When it comes to making the tough decisions, Russell said he considers two factors.

"I believe that if we make a decision based upon what’s best for our students, we’ll never make a bad decision," he said.

"And secondly, I always try to say in my head, ‘What would a judge say?’ And if a judge would say, ‘You screwed up,’ I’d beg for forgiveness and I’d fix the problem. And if I judge says, ‘You’re absolutely right,’ I’d dig my heels in and I’d stick with my point."

Most important, he said, is being not too strict and not too generous – but fair.

"I want to be the one about whom the soccer moms say, ‘You know what, he’s going to treat you fairly,’?" Russell said.

As for dealing with the cold weather, Russell said he’s ready this time around.

"Being in a hot climate year-round gave me an appreciation for the four seasons," he said, "so I actually not only tolerate it, but truly appreciate it."

Derek Edry can be reached at 594-1243, dedry@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_Derek.