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Hartford Aims To Hire New Superintendent By February

Board To Seek In-House Candidates First

Vanessa De La Torre

December 07, 2010

The board of education is hoping to appoint a new superintendent to replace Steven Adamowski as soon as mid-February, assuming that the next schools chief is picked from within the district.

The selection committee plans to post the position on Jan. 3, and as part of the board's new leadership succession policy will seek internal candidates for the job until the Jan. 21 application deadline.

The committee — which includes nearly all school board members, plus a parent representative, teacher, administrator and community member who will be announced today — will then interview the candidates during the week of Jan. 24, according to the schedule presented at a recent board meeting.

A successor is to be recommended by Feb. 4; a vote to approve the next superintendent would then be scheduled for the Feb. 15 board meeting.

But if no one is picked from within the city's schools or central office, an outside search would begin Feb. 5, school officials said.

Timothy Sullivan, principal of Greater Hartford Classical Magnet School on Woodland Street, has already announced his intent to become a candidate for the top job. Sullivan is the son-in-law of school board member Elizabeth Brad Noel, who said she is recusing herself from all board discussions and meetings involving the superintendent search.

In March, the Connecticut Association of Schools named Sullivan its high school principal of the year for his work at Classical Magnet, a grade 6-12 liberal arts school that requires students to take Latin and draws a significant share of suburban enrollment.

Assistant Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, who oversees secondary schools and often draws praise from Adamowski at public meetings, also may be in the running.

When asked last week whether she would seek the job, Kishimoto would only say, "We'll see," and reiterated that the position will officially be posted early next month.

Adamowski, 59, an Ansonia native who began his education career as a teacher in New Haven, has long said he would lead Hartford schools for five years. He joined the district in fall 2006 under a reform agenda that includes larger autonomy for individual schools that are successful in raising some of Connecticut's lowest test scores.

Adamowski plans to retire this summer.

The education reform group Achieve Hartford! will hold two community meetings in the next week to get residents' suggestions on what they want in a new superintendent. The recommendations will then be compiled in a report for the selection committee.

The first meeting is 6 to 7:30 p.m. today at America's Choice at SAND School, 1750 Main St. The second session is at the same time on Monday at Bulkeley High School, 300 Wethersfield Ave. There will be Spanish translation and child care services at both sessions.