By Jarret Liotta
UPDATE In a unanimous vote, the Board of Education (BOE), tonight named David E. Abbey, a one-time Westport administrator, interim superintendent of schools.
David Abbey: a return to Westport. Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
“He’s well-aware of what’s going on here,” Chairman Mark Mathias joked, noting it was nice to have him returning to town.
Abbey, 70, of Fairfield, replaces Acting Superintendent Anthony Buono who took over following the departure of Colleen Palmer whose leave was announced April 8 for medical reasons after serving since July 1, 2016.
Abbey was coordinator of the Westport Regional Center and Department of Special Education at Staples High School from 1981 to 1987.
“We had students attending the program from all over the county,” he said of the Westport program in a 2012 New Canaan News interview.
“New Canaan was one of the school districts that sent students to the Westport regional center at Staples High School, and that’s how people in New Canaan became familiar with me.”
While he began his career as a special-education teacher in Modesto, California in 1973 where he was a teacher of the blind and visually impaired, he served as principal of New Canaan High School from 1991 to 1997, and ultimately retired as superintendent of schools in New Canaan in 2012 after serving nine years in that role.
Abbey subsequently served as a consultant and an interim human resources director in Newtown from 2013 to 2017.
He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in history. In 1973, he received his master’s degree in special education from the University of Arizona and his doctorate in 1981.
While his hire begins officially on Wednesday, Abbey said he will take the reins from Buono on May 14, following four days of orientation with Buono.
“I’m very thankful for your help, Dr. Buono,” Abbey said, “and for the help of the cabinet, which I know will be supporting me.”
BOE members made note that Abbey’s arrival — and the expertise he brings — would be helpful in determining decisions related to possible redistricting questions in relation to school utilization.
New Interim Superintendent of Schools David Abbey addresses the Board of Education for the first time in public tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
Buono presented the BOE with a first draft of guiding criteria for redistricting, mainly centered on maintaining the current middle school structure.
“It’s important to have a primary goal,” he said, adding he did not believe it was feasible — or even necessary — to balance enrollment at the elementary schools with redistricting, as declining enrollment numbers made it somewhat unnecessary.
“I don’t see that personally as a priority,” he said, noting that some would disagree, but the numbers show there will remain ample room to house students.
But likewise, he said, because the numbers will decrease at the middle schools eventually, it was not likely that two teams could be supported at each school without making significant changes of some kind.
Buono said the concept of a sixth grade academy was the easiest solution to address that problem, with the least amount of planning required.
“I think the other model that could potentially do that is if we decided to split (one) elementary school,” he said, meaning half the students would go to Coleytown Middle School (CMS) and half to Bedford Middle School (BMS), providing adequate numbers for two teams at each school.
The ramifications of the CMS closure last September due to mold issues, along with subsequent questions surrounding the future of the building, led to lengthy debate and discussion among BOE members on several items.
BOE Chairman Mark Mathias shares his thoughts with member Vik Muktavaram. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
There was strong disappointment expressed by several BOE members that on April 3 the Board of Finance (BOF) refused action on its request to allow $79,500 to be taken from the school’s Carry-Over Account.
The money was part of $279,000 planned to use for an independent facilities analysis, with the BOE allowed to spend up to $200,000 from the account without BOF approval.
The BOF, however, was skeptical of the necessity to use an outside consultant and told Buono, who was making the request for the BOE, that the BOE’s priority should be on educational plans at this time instead.
The BOF chairman Brian Stern then offered him the chance to withdraw the request, but instead agreed to defer it at his request so he could consult with the BOE.
“I’m pretty convinced they don’t support this idea,” said BOE member Candice Savin, who said she had talked to various representatives of the funding bodies in town.
Mathias said he understood that the town itself was intending to put $200,000 toward a facilities inspection, but that details were hazy.
Interim Superintendent David Abbey listens to discussion tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
“This is incredibly frustrating to me,” said BOE member Vik Muktavaram, noting that they have been criticized for not having a strategic plan for the maintenance of the buildings, but now were potentially being handcuffed in trying to devise one.
“For years they’ve been asking us to put this together,” he said, “and now that it’s put together, we’re not getting the support.”
In the end the BOE deferred a motion to spend $200,000 from the Carry-Over Account to fund a modified plan, opting to make one more attempt to connect with the town to learn exactly what it plans to do in terms of a facilities study.
“Any work like this, I think, should be done collaboratively,” said Muktavaram, who stated he would not support the use of that money as it could still be needed to help fund renovation work to be done at BMS, which will require town approval and could run close to $200,000.
