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Dismissing Rumors, Hartford Superintendent Says He's Staying

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JODIE MOZDZER

November 20, 2008

The rumors have been circulating for weeks. Parents, teachers and community members have been asking each other: Is Superintendent Steven J. Adamowski planning to leave the district at the end of the year?

At the board of education meeting Tuesday night, Adamowski answered the question after one parent pressed him during the public comment session to clarify his intentions.

"I feel a lot like Mark Twain when he said, 'The rumors of my passing have been greatly exaggerated,'" Adamowski said.

He said that he had been recruited for two other positions — including a superintendent's position in another state — and turned down both. Adamowski declined to comment further and did not elaborate on the places that tried to hire him.

"There is no truth to that rumor," Adamowski said. "I have been reluctant to respond to it because that type of rumor-mongering is part of the culture we are trying to put behind us."

Mayor Eddie A. Perez, who is also chairman of the school board, said that Adamowski's contract covers another two years and that the board hopes to extend it one year after that.

Sam Saylor, the parent who broached the topic during the public meeting, said that he spoke to Adamowski in private about the rumors. On Tuesday, Saylor urged Adamowski to send a letter to parents outlining his intentions to stay.

"There are people who are buying into the change," Saylor said. "We need to know the leadership is stable."