By James Lomuscio
With the favorite candidate of the two finalists bowing out for principal of Staples High School for another job, the Westport school system has rebooted its search and is even considering an interim principal to fill outgoing Principal John Dodig’s shoes, according to school officials.
“The Staples principal’s job is one of the most important in the district, and we will only recruit and hire a star for that position,” Michael Gordon, chairman of the Board of Education, said today. “If that means choosing an interim for one year, we will make that choice.”
Gordon pointed out that Dodig, who is retiring in June after 14 years at the helm, began as an one-year interim at Staples.
“And it was a very good experience, and he had a very good tenure,” Gordon said.
Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said today that the principal search committee, comprising administrators, teachers, parents and students, will resume the search.
Louis Moore, principal of Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, N.J., declined Westport’s offer in favor of a principal’s job at a high school for unprivileged students in Baltimore, the board was told at its Monday night meeting.
Moore and the other finalist, Frank Costanzo, principal of the Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School in New Haven, had been narrowed down out of a pool of 12 candidates by Landon and Marge Cion, school director of human resources.
The finalists were then screened, questioned by parents of eighth through twelfth grade parents at two meetings.
Gordon said similar parent input would be elicited for future candidates. Landon said he hoped the position would be filled by May 1.
Also at Monday’s meeting, it was announced that both Landon and Dodig had received the highest honors from the Connecticut PTA Council.
Landon was named Superintendent of the Year for 2015, and Dodig, High School Principal of the year.
“I think it’s the highest honor you can get in this business because who do you work with? The kids,” Landon said. “To do that effectively you have to work with the parents.
“There is no school in the country that is successful without active parent involvement.”
So they were down to two finalists, Moore and Costanzo. Moore withdrew so why wasn’t Costanzo appointed to the position? Did he make a terrible faux pas at the parent questions session?