It's The First Day Of School For New Madison Superintendent

MADISON, CT — In her last message to students and families filling them in on the latest coronavirus cases and news, now-former interim schools superintendent JeanAnn Paddyfoote at once said goodbye, and welcomed Madison's new schools chief Dr. Craig Cooke. Monday is his first day on the job.

"It has been a pleasure serving as interim of this district and I thank our staff, students, and families for your support during my time here. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Cooke to Madison," Paddyfoote wrote.

Cooke has been an educational leader in Connecticut for 24 years, a news release from the schools read. Superintendent of Windsor Public Schools since 2013 and Assistant Superintendent there since 2009, Cooke previously served as the Human Resources Director of Enfield Public Schools.

After a "rigorous" four-month search process, Cooke was named to the post in late September.

Cooke was awarded the 2019 Superintendent of the Year Award by UCONN's NEAG School of Education. He holds a PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Connecticut.
He lives in Old Saybrook with his wife, Kristen, and their three children.

By late afternoon Monday, Cooke sent his first message to families. And it wasn't one he'd hoped to be sending.

"While I had planned my first official communication to the community a little differently, I did want to keep with District practice in notifying the community when a school or schools are impacted by COVID-19..." he wrote announcing the latest COVID-19 positive case in Madison schools, this one at Brown Intermediate School sending a class into quarantine.

From the original early fall media release, the Madison Board of Education wrote:

"The Madison Board of Education used community input to focus its search. The input informed the Board of the qualities, characteristics and experiences community stakeholders prioritized for the next superintendent. The input drove the recruitment and selection of candidates, the questions and performance tasks posed to the candidates, the referencing process and the final decision. The Board unanimously agreed Dr. Cooke is the right candidate for Madison."

"As a community that highly values education, the Madison Board sought candidates who have proven success in promoting high levels of student achievement while providing a balanced and well-rounded education. Dr. Cooke provided convincing evidence that he has been able to meet that target by sharing a 2020 accountability report for his district, which posted impressive index gains on test metrics as well as other indicators of success. He places high value in recruiting and retaining excellent staff, developing them, and trusting them. Ultimately, he expects demonstrated results and sustainability. His approach to academic program review is not to dismantle what's working but rather to build upon that which is solid and successful. Stakeholder input identified facilities upgrades and financial management as two priority challenges. "

Cooke holds a bachelor's degree and Masters of Business Administration and is "highly regarded for his ethical, creative and strategic approach to financial challenges," the statement reads.

"The Superintendent-elect expressed both humility and excitement about the facilities challenges that lie ahead in Madison," it reads.

"The Board responded in earnest to the stakeholder call for a Superintendent with outstanding personal qualities and interpersonal skills. The Board underscored the importance of relationships, communication and the ability to coalesce people around vision, goals and the resolution of issues. Dr. Cooke's presence and references speak highly to his humility, intellect, integrity and genuineness. He was praised extensively by educators, parents, and community members for his ability to convene groups in search of common ground in planning and in problem-solving.

The Madison Board has high confidence in Dr. Cooke's readiness to transition to the District, even in these most challenging times. He is well versed in planning and adapting to the circumstances created by the ever-changing pandemic. His past equity work will be key in ensuring that all Madison students are prepared to live in a diverse world."