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School Board Chairman Issues Statement On Segarra

By Jeff Cohen

February 22, 2011

Here’s a statement from school board Chairman David MacDonald. He says the board will “consider” Segarra’s request to perform a national search.

The statement is below.

HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION

Statement on Mayor Pedro Segarra’s Request to Initiate a National Search for Superintendent

The Superintendent Search process was carried out according to Board of Education policy on Leadership Succession and included opportunities for school and community input through forums, surveys and conversations whereby more than 700 people participated. The Search Committee was comprised of Board of Education members and 5 appointed representatives from the following stakeholder groups: teachers, parents, principals, and the business community. The Committee worked with a consultant to develop interview questions, review all applicant information and conducted first and second interviews of internal candidates. Finally a recommendation from the Search Committee was made to the BOE for the internal candidate. The timeline for the process was publicly displayed and carried out as planned.

We appreciate and respect the Mayor’s request to extend our process but at the same time we stand by the integrity of said process. We will consider the Mayor’s request to extend our search to include additional external candidates.

It is the Board’s position that it would have been more beneficial for the Mayor to have taken the time to either participate in the process or to have brought his concerns to the Board much earlier, rather than waiting until the 11th hour before the candidate selection meeting. As a Board we have strived to avoid last minute decision-making due to its disruptive nature and we believe it sends the wrong message to members of our community.

Dr. Christina Kishimoto is the reform leader that has been responsible for the execution of one of the pillars of our reform strategy, the establishment of an All Choice System of High Performing Schools. Without her drive and commitment Hartford Public Schools would not be Connecticut’s most improved urban school district. We remain strong in our desire to have Dr. Kishimoto be a part of this process, which is entirely her choice. It is our hope that she will continue her impassioned interest in our pursuit of the best candidate for Hartford Public Schools.

We remain committed to delivering the best possible education to every single child in our community.