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04/16/2019 03:00 PMThe Region 4 Board of Education has partnered with Dr. Joe Erardi of J.E. Consulting to work as a search consultant for the Region 4 superintendent position.
The first course of action will be to hold community forum meetings to learn what residents are looking for in the next superintendent. Erardi, a former superintendent himself, will host the forums along with the boards of education in each town.
The first one-hour community meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the Deep River Elementary School library, the second will be held on Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the Essex Elementary School library, and the last will be held on Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m. in the Chester Elementary School library.
“My belief is that the most important work the school boards can do, as dedicated officers, is upcoming, and that’s hiring a new superintendent,” said Erardi. “These community forums are being held because we want to let people know that their voice matters, we will be listening, and the information we gather will help the search committee when it comes to interviewing for the position.”
“The information gathered from the public will form the basis of the questions we’ll be asking of the candidates and help guide the committee in looking for the best fit for our schools and community,” said Region 4 Supervision District Committee Chairman Lon Seidman.
In addition to the forum meetings, there is a seven-page, online survey available at the Region 4 website www.reg4.k12.ct.us, that all community members are being asked to complete to help gather more information about what traits and professional information the residents of the three towns would like to see in the new superintendent.
“My hope is that the information gathered at the forum meetings and from the online survey will give us an excellent summary of what the three towns are looking for in the next superintendent,” said Erardi, adding, “Everyone is a stakeholder in tomorrow’s future of student education, so we hope that everyone comes out to these meetings and voices their opinions, concerns and questions.”
“This is a big decision and we need as much feedback from the community as possible,” Seidman said.
The online survey will close on Friday, May 10, which is also the date when applications for the superintendent position closes.
The hiring search committee for the position consists of two members from each Board of Education including Chester, Deep River, and Essex as well as Region 4. Additionally, there has been a community member from each town, who has been appointed by the boards of selectman to be on the committee. In Chester that individual is Kitty Patrick; in Deep River, it is John Wichtowski; and in Essex, it is Terry Stewart.
Current Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Levy announced in February she would retire on June 30.