Only hours after meeting with parents, staff and administrators at the Amity Regional School District, Westport’s Staples High School Principal John J. Brady was hired Tuesday night as the district’s new superintendent.
John Brady: will give notice to Westport today.WN photo
He said he would give notice to the Westport Board of Education today, according to the New Haven Register.
The newspaper said that the whirlwind courtship between Brady and the Amity Board of Education ended with a unanimous vote by the panel to hire him.
The vote came at the end of a day that saw Brady meet with staff and administrators at all three schools in the regional district for the first time and meet with parents throughout the day.
“I spent the entire day with him and he was received so enthusiastically by teachers and administrators,” board member Rita Gadansky told the newspaper. “Ive never seen a group so hungry for leadership.”
Brady said he was “extremely excited” at the opportunity to lead the Amity district, which serves students from Orange, Bethany and Woodbridge.
He briefly acknowledged the districts troubled past, which has included the discovery of a $2 million budget deficit, a state record 17 failed attempts to pass the 2002-03 budget and student health problems that have been linked to mold contamination, in his remarks after the boardҒs vote.
“Theres only one way for this district to go and thatҒs up,” Brady said. “I feel very honored to have the opportunity to lead you in that direction.”
Details of Bradys contract җ including his salary still are being worked out, the Register said.
The Amity board authorized Chairman Ken Downey and William Blake, the panelגs Personnel Committee chairman, to negotiate the contract and then submit it to the full board for approval.
Downey declined to say after the meeting what the salary range was that Blake was being offered, adding that full details of the deal would be released after it had been signed and approved, the report said.
“There is an agreement, an understanding, between Mr. Brady and the board about the important details,” Downey said.
Downey said hes not certain how long it will take before Brady is able to start at Amity.
“We felt that time was of the essence in hiring him because weҒre not sure how long the Westport board will want him to stay,” Downey told the newspaper.
Interim Superintendent Michael Nast will continue to serve the district until Brady is able to start at Amity.
Brady replaces Helene Skrzyniarz, who left the district at the end of June to run the Auburn, Mass., school system.
Brady. 52, began his career in education in Hopedale, Mass., in 1979. He has spent the last 16 years working in Connecticut, first as director of pupil services in the Killingly school district, and for the last 10 years in a variety of roles in Westport, including a three-year stint as deputy superintendent.
Brady has been principal at Staples since July 2002 when he replaced Gloria Rakovic.
Brady has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a masters degree in education from Northeastern University in Boston, and a doctorate in education from Columbia University.
Congratulations to Amity and Dr. Brady, but this is a big loss to Staples and Westport. I hope the School Board gets to work fast on finding a high caliber replacement.
Westport and Staples looses a great Principal. We will have to search hard and far to repalce John he created a better place in his short tenure.
While this is a great loss for Westport, I am happy to see him go to my alma mater, Amity Regional School. Amity was once very much like Staples and I hope it can return to its fine state.