Schools
Ouellette's Departure Leaves Plenty of Questions
A departure date for Superintendent Kathleen Ouellette, or how the school board will go about filling the vacancy, had not been determined Tuesday.
A day after Waterbury Public Schools , there still remained a number of questions about her departure and how it would impact the Manchester Public Schools system.
Ouellette, who has served as superintendent of the Manchester Public Schools system since 2004, was selected to fill Waterbury’s vacant chief school administrator post Monday night by the Waterbury Board of Education in a 7-3 vote.
Ouellette informed the Manchester school board of her new appointment Tuesday, and Board of Education Chairman Chris Pattacini said that the school board was in the process of determining the next steps to transition from Ouellette’s departure to a new permanent superintendent, which would likely include the hiring of an interim superintendent and the selection of a search firm to aid in the search for Ouellette’s long term replacement.
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“Dr. Ouellette has committed to me that she will work with both boards to ensure a timely and smooth transition, as Manchester’s Board of Education searches for its next leader,” Pattacini said in a news release Tuesday morning.
When reached for further comment, Pattacini told Patch that Ouellette had not set an exit date with the Manchester school system yet and that her contract required she provide the district with at least 90 days notice, although Pattacini said the Manchester school board would work with their Waterbury counterparts to ensure a smooth transition that could possibly see Ouellette exit sooner than her notice requires.
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“At this point, we still need to understand what the timing will be with Waterbury, so we’re somewhat in a holding pattern until we know what they want to do,” Pattacini said.
The Waterbury school system’s first day of school is Monday, Aug. 29, while most Manchester students return to school on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Pattacini said that because Ouellette’s departure from Manchester would most likely occur during or very near to the start of the school year, it might take several months to fill the position.
“We’ll probably move quickly in the next week or so to start the process, but I can’t say how quickly we’ll move or how we’ll move,” Pattacini said. “This is an important decision for the community. We want to get it right. This could take anywhere from four to six months.”
Pattacini said that further complicating the process could be the fact that several other school districts in the area are also in the process of searching for a new superintendent. Windsor is actively searching for a full-time replacement to Superintendent Elizabeth Feser, who left her post in April to fill the same position in Milford, and the Enfield school district is also gearing up for a search to replace Superintendent John Gallacher, who plans to retire at the end of the 2012 school year.
“My sense is that the need for superintendents probably outstrips the available candidates,” Pattacini said.
Ouellette’s departure also complicates the Manchester school system’s quest to find a new full-time principal at Manchester High School. Ouellette , after several high profile disciplinary incidents occurred at the school, and assumed the principal position herself for about a month, before naming interim principal in early February.
, and Ziogas has committed to remain at the helm of Manchester High through at least November, but Pattacini said he did not know what impact Ouellette’s departure might have on the search.
“I just don’t know the answer to that,” Pattacini said. “I think that you might get candidates that didn’t apply before, and you might not get candidates because of the transition.”
Pattacini said that the search for a new principal at Manchester High School would continue through Ouellette’s transition, and that as long as she was still superintendent she would be involved in the interviewing process of any candidates; although Pattacini added that he expected the school board would have “significant input” on any hiring decisions.
“That process should continue, the question is going to be one of timing,” Pattacini said. “As long as she’s superintendent, she has to make those decisions, because that’s her responsibility.”
Ouellette earns a $155,366 annual salary as Manchester’s superintendent. The Waterbury school board voted to raise the salary scale for its superintendent from $120,000 to $150,000 to $150,000 to $200,000 earlier this year to make the post more attractive to potential candidates. Waterbury school officials did not return calls for comment Tuesday, but the Hartford Courant reported that her salary will be determined by Waterbury Mayor Michael J. Jarjura.
Pattacini said Manchester would also likely discuss the possibility of raising its salary scale to attract the top candidates for a new superintendent.
“That will need to be set by the board as part of this process,” Pattacini said. “I think the jury’s still out on that as far as what, or any, changes we might need to make.”
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