Fairfield Board Of Ed Chooses Firm For Schools Superintendent Search

The following announcement is from Cooperative Educational Services:

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Fairfield Board of Education has begun the process of identifying a new Superintendent of Schools and has selected Cooperative Educational Services (CES) to conduct the search. Board of Education Chair Christine Vitale and Vice Chair Nick Aysseh are leading the Superintendent Search Committee, which includes all of the Board of Education members. The next superintendent is expected to be chosen in early August following a series of interviews with candidates and begin work Nov. 1, 2022, replacing Superintendent Michael Cummings, who will retire June 30.

The community will have the opportunity to participate and guide the search by providing feedback in focus groups and an online survey.

"The Board is excited to partner with CES and is looking forward to engaging the community in our search for Fairfield's next Superintendent of Schools," Vitale said. "We hope that all stakeholders take the time to participate in the focus groups and complete the online survey. Capturing and understanding the diverse needs and priorities of the community is an important step in the search process and will guide our work moving forward."

CES has already begun recruiting candidates and sharing the posting information. It has reached out to nearly 2,000 current superintendents (and those certified to serve as superintendents) in the Northeast and approximately 7,750 more district leaders and regional superintendent organizations across the country. The job opening is also promoted on a number of state and national education-related websites.

The CES team will hold Focus Group meetings to collect feedback and identify desirable leadership characteristics in the next superintendent. A schedule for the focus groups is below and can also be found on a Superintendent Search page at www.fairfieldschools.org.

June 6
10 a.m. — Middle and high school students, Zoom

June 7
4 p.m. — FEA Union leadership, Zoom
6 p.m. — PTA parents during PTA leadership meeting, Zoom

June 8
3:30 p.m. — Teachers, Zoom

June 9
1 p.m. —First Selectwoman, Zoom
3:30 p.m. —Union leadership, Zoom
4:15 p.m. — Administrator union leadership, Zoom

June 13
6 p.m. —Executive directors, Ludlow Middle School
7 p.m. — Community, Ludlowe Middle School auditorium

June 15
7 p.m. —Town leaders, Zoom

An online survey is open to Fairfield residents and school district staff, accessible through June 5 at 11:55 p.m. Links to the survey, plus other updates, can be found on a Superintendent Search page found at www.fairfieldschools.org and is available in English, Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish.

CES is a Trumbull-based agency that provides support and services to school districts and communities in Fairfield County through its school and programs. Its Executive Searches division has helped districts secure qualified candidates to fill superintendent, principal and other school administrative positions for districts and schools throughout Connecticut. Facilitating the search will be CES Search Consultants Dr. Charles Dumais and David Erwin.