Bittman to Step Down as BOE Chairman

Lillian Bittman is stepping down as chairman of the Board of Education due to family commitments, she has told board members.

Bittman, who will remain on the board, said that she has to spent more time helping her mother, who lives by herself in Kansas City and has multiple sclerosis, select an assisted living facility and sell her home.

"I cannot devote the emotional energy and time required to help her at such a great distance while I also chair the Board of Education," Bittman wrote in an e-mail she sent to elected officials Wednesday. "For me, family has always come first."

Bittman, whose term runs through next year, said she will retain her board membership. A new chairman is expected to be elected Tuesday when the board meets at the Municipal Center.

When Bittman was elected chairman late last year, Kathy Fetchick, who is now the vice chairman, and fellow board member David Nanavaty unsuccessfully sought the post.

Fetchick said she would be interested in seeking the chairman position.

"I would want to provide continuity and maintain all of the positive changes we have made since December; such as, the creation of all of our subcommittees and having a very active executive committee that meets twice a month," Fetchick said in an e-mail. "Since I do not have a full time career, I am lucky to be able to dedicate a great deal of time and energy to the chair position. Just as I have in the past, I will continue to have high expectations for our board and the administration to work together to provide the best educational environment with the available resources."

Nanavaty said that he is considering running for the post, but was wrestling with whether he would have enough time.  He said he recently took on the post of president of Education Connection, a regional planning group, and that combined with his full-time job as a criminal public defender in Danbury, might make taking on another role difficult.

"Given the path that Lillian has chosen with the chair being very active in a number of meetings with the first selectman and superintendent, meeting with the executive committee on a regular basis, making herself available during various meetings, I don't know if I have the luxury of time," he said.

Nanavaty has been one of the most vocal board members. He was named in a complaint Fetchick filed with the Freedom of Information Commission in which she said she was disrespected by Nanavaty and others during an executive session of a board meeting that she said was improperly held.

The two also clashed during a recent meeting when Nanavaty accused Fetchick of spreading misinformation about bus contract negotiations.

Nanavaty said he and other board members have differences of opinion, but "the board still gets its work done." He said he may have to reconsider how he interacts with other board members should he seek the chairman post.

"I guess that's something I have to consider and factor in whether I would have to change my position with regards to my relationship with the rest of the board members in order to take on a role like that," he said. "That's all part of the mix. It's something I have to decide whether it's something I truly want. It's a decision I have to make before Tuesday."

Board member Bill Hart also said he was open to the post if asked.

"It would be a job I would be glad to have if I was the right choice," he said.

Editor's note: This article has been updated from an earlier version to include comments from board members Kathy Fetchick and Bill Hart.