Region 14 Schools Superintendent Hired For New Job

MILFORD, CT — The Board of Education Tuesday night named current Region 14 Superintendent of Schools Anna Cutaia as the district's next superintendent of schools. After seven years of leading the district, Elizabeth Feser announced in January that she would depart at the end of the school year.

Cutaia has led Region 14, which serves Bethlehem and Woodbury, for the past four years. She will begin in Milford on Aug. 1. A total of 16 applicants applied for the job and eight were interviewed. School Board Chairwoman Sue Glennon said it's "an exciting night" for the Milford Public Schools and that Cutaia was the "one person who rose to the top" during the interview process.

Glennon said Cutaia will work "passionately" for the children, staff, and parents in Milford. Cutaia thanked board members for picking her and she said during the interview process she could feel Milford's official motto of a "small city with a big heart." She said everyone she spoke with was tremendously welcoming to her.

She said her goal is to build on the successes of Feser and her top priority is always on improving "teaching and learning. Cutaia was greeted with a round of applause after the board voted unanimously to hire her.

Cutaia has 27 years of experience and before her work at Region 14 she served as Director of Elementary Education in Fairfield for six years. She started her career as a teacher in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and then moved up to an assistant principal and then principal.

In 2003, Cutaia moved to Connecticut and served as principal of Casimir Pulaski Elementary School in Meriden. The nationwide search was facilitated by Cooperative Educational Services of Trumbull.

"Dr. Cutaia possesses many of the qualities indicated in the Leadership Profile which was developed with input from over 1,000 Milford stakeholders. She has a breadth of experience, from the classroom to her current superintendency. She is well connected to the educational framework of the state and is well versed in the important initiatives that are ongoing in the district. She is committed not only to "students first" but also to building the capacity of those who work directly with our students. It is for these reasons and more, the Board feels Dr. Cutaia is the right fit for the Milford Public Schools and we are very excited to have her join our community."

Feser was hired in 2011 during a very turbulent time for the school system after a couple of prior scandals involving superintendents. Feser led the school system through tragedy when Maren Sanchez, 16, was stabbed to death at Jonathan Law High School in 2014.

She was named the state's top superintendent back in 2015 by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), a statewide nonprofit educational administration organization which represents public school superintendents, assistant superintendents and other educational leaders across the state.

Prior to joining The Milford Public Schools as Superintendent in April, 2011, Dr. Feser served nine years as the Superintendent of the Windsor CT Public Schools. She was also the former Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in the New Canaan CT Public Schools.

Photo credit: Brian McCready