Stamford Board Of Education Votes Against Extension For Superintendent

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Board of Education on Tuesday night voted 5-4 to deny a one-year extension on Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero's contract.

Lucero's contract, which was approved in January, currently runs through June 30, 2024. She's earning a base salary of about $295,000, but contributions and fringe benefits will push her yearly pay to around $406,000.

Board members Nicola Tarzia, Benjamin Lee, Becky Hamman, Joshua Esses and Fritz Cherry opposed the contract extension. Board President Jackie Heftman, Andy George, Daniel Dauplaise and Jeanienne Burke voted in favor.

Those who opposed cited concerns with teacher morale and recent votes of no confidence against Lucero, as well as a perceived decline in educational standards around the district.

Those who supported the extension praised Lucero's leadership and accomplishments to date, and said she's the right person for the job at the right time.

Lee praised Lucero for helping to secure funding for Stamford schools, but he criticized the way the district handled potential schedule changes, which led to votes of no confidence in Lucero from staff, notably at Westhill High School and AITE.

"My concern is that from every conversation I've had with any teacher, not just the teachers who are most politically active or come to us, but literally my neighbors, teachers I run into on the street, teachers I met knocking on doors, was a constant, universal and fairly consistent refrain as to concerns about central office and the degree to which they has stakeholders were being engaged," Lee said. "The level of trust as I understand it is just too low, and it has to improve."

Burke said the funding Stamford received to improve school buildings was directly related to Lucero's efforts.

Esses called Lucero's work on that front "laudable."

"But the skills she possesses that brought that to fruition are very different skills than the skills the district needs in its superintendent moving forward," Esses added.

Esses said he wants to see improvement on educational standards in the district.

He pointed to the elimination of honors tracking in the middle schools, and the elimination of mandatory midterms and final exams as reasons why education in Stamford is "moving in one direction, and it's all about lowering standards, making it easier for students to get through, and instituting reforms that will improve our graduation rates without ensuring students are learning the skills they need to learn and we should be providing them through Stamford Public Schools."

Dauplaise supported the contract extension, and said its easy for critics to "sit in the audience and point out a flaw to prick a proverbial hole in a balloon." Dauplaise said it was disappointing to see fellow board members make "nakedly political criticisms of someone who is doing an incredible job day in and day out to lead our school system."

He called Lucero "an agent of compromise" and a "strong leader" who is best suited to lead the district over the next few years as work begins to improve school facilities.

As president of the board, Heftman said she interacts with Lucero more than her colleagues, and has seen Lucero's commitment to the school district and the city as a whole.

"As I've said before, I believe this superintendent cares more about the Stamford students and more about Stamford itself as a community than any other superintendent I ever served with," Heftman said.

She added that voting against an extension sends a signal to Lucero to look for another job.

"If we don't work collaboratively to solve the issues we think are real, then there's never going to be a solution," she said. "This superintendent is willing to work collaboratively with this board."