Stamford Board Of Ed. Approves New Contract For Superintendent

STAMFORD, CT — On Tuesday night, after a several month delay, the Stamford Board of Education narrowly voted to approve a new contract for Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero.

The 5-4 vote gave the OK for Board President Jackie Heftman to execute the proposed contract, which now must be signed. The contract will run through June 30, 2024. Financial details are not yet known.

Democrats Jennienne Burke, Daniel Dauplaise, Heftman, Andy George and Benjamin Lee voted yes to approve. Democrat Fritz Cherry, and Republicans Joshua Esses, Becky Hamman and Nicola Tarzia voted no.

Lucero was first hired in the Stamford Public Schools District in 2013 as an assistant superintendent for elementary education. She was hired as the superintendent for the entire district in 2019.

Heftman offered her support to Lucero, saying she "has met or exceeded her board approved goals every year since becoming superintendent." She also highlighted Lucero's work ethic.

"In my 13 years on this board, I have worked with five superintendents, none of which had a stronger work ethic, stronger commitment to Stamford Public Schools, or a stronger love for this community," Heftman said.

Esses said he could not support a new contract because decisions have been made by the district that are "driven by ideology and not by best educational practices." He said the district is lowering standards in the classroom, which is "a detriment to all of our students."

"If choosing a superintendent was a personality contest, Tamu would have my support. In my limited time on the board, I have found her to be hardworking and highly responsive to my questions and concerns," said Esses, who was elected to the board last November. "But I have serious policy disagreements about the direction in which the district is heading."

Specifically, Esses mentioned the decision to eliminate college preparatory and honors tracking in middle schools as a negative, and that restorative justice practices have made it difficult to maintain discipline and order in classrooms. He also pointed to a potential change in the block schedule at the high school level as a detriment.

"I believe our administration has good intentions, but I am resolute in my belief that these changes are harmful to all students," he said.

Tarzia agreed with Esses, but also complimented Lucero on her work ethic and personality traits.

Hamman called Lucero "welcoming", but said she continues to see patterns in how the district operates.

"I'm not seeing progress. I'm continuing to see patterns of a lack of listening to parents as well as teachers. For me, that's very concerning as a leader," Hamman said, while also noting that she believes the district wasn't adequately prepared for COVID-19 and returning to school.

Cherry said he couldn't support a new contract because of the salary. He said it would set a bad precedent.

Dauplaise pushed back on Hamman and Cherry's comments.

"I dare say that Stamford was probably one of the finest school districts in our approach to keep students safe, to keeping teachers safe and to putting educational outcomes first," he said on the pandemic.

On salary, Dauplaise said he felt it was too low.

"We have an incredibly large and diverse school district, and we have an incredible superintendent leading it. For us to not do everything in our power to retain, and value and invest in that superintendent, is for the nine of us to turn our backs on the 16,000 students in Stamford," he said.

Lee said he's focused on school construction and fixing the district's infrastructure. Keeping Lucero in place and having a continuity of leadership during that process is "in the best interest of the district," he noted.

Following the vote, Lucero thanked the board for its support, and said she's looking forward to serving the district in the future.

"I am so proud to be the superintendent of Stamford Public Schools. After nine years of serving this community, I will continue to work with my team hard on providing a quality educational experience for our students and supporting our staff, making sure they're in a healthy work environment," she said.

"I appreciate all of you, and I will continue to work really hard to make each of you proud that you selected me as your superintendent."

According to the Stamford Advocate, a reason for the delay in a new contract could be attributed to Lucero's mandatory contribution to the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement Board.

Read more from the Advocate.