Cronyism Alive And Well In West Hartford

Published Jan. 28, 2009 at 8:57 p.m.
Saint Karen - perfect in every way

The announcement was made today

The West Hartford Board of Education is very pleased to announce it has selected Karen L. List, the current West Hartford Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, to be the next superintendent of the West Hartford Public Schools, pending successful contract negotiations...This appointment will be formally voted upon at an upcoming meeting of the West Hartford Board of Education, and will be effective July 1, 2009.

During an extensive interview process, Karen demonstrated a greater understanding of and vision for how to improve student achievement than the other candidates that we interviewed...Karen’s passion for our children, record of innovation, commitment to building and sustaining relationships with faculty and staff throughout the district, interest in actively engaging the entire community in dialogue, and work ethic were also major factors in her selection.

Board of Education member Bruce Putterman stated that Karen List rose to the top of the interview pool that included four current or former superintendents, three of whom were from out of state, and two of whom had been named “Superintendent of the Year” in their states.

If in fact "Karen demonstrated a greater understanding of and vision for how to improve student achievement than the other candidates" then why hasn't she accomplished this as assistant superintendent? Perhaps Dr. Sklarz got in her way. He'll probably be working for her soon enough anyway.

The search began in February 2008, with the formation of a search committee and a budget of $50,000.

Many people expected Dr. List to be tapped...No big surprises here. It would have been more surprising if they chose someone from outside the school district who could bring some fresh new ideas to the table and some new perspectives...We'll most likely see more of the same old same old.

What would be even more shocking is if she forgoes any benefits or pay raise to benefit the school district. Now that would be novel indeed.
Based on what we have seen in West Hartford, it's unlikely.

In the final analysis, it appears that the $50,000 spent on a "search" would have been better spent on textbooks.


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