Long time town employee Dr. Steven Swerdlick announced on May 25 his retirement from the position of Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.
“This was a very difficult decision to make because it has been a privilege to work in New Canaan. It would be hard to find another school district as close to a model of public education as New Canaan," said Swerdlick.
Swerdlick has served the town for 13 years, starting off as Director of Human Resources in 1999 and promoted to Assistant Superintendent in 2005.
“Steve has done an extraordinary job," said Superintendent David Abbey. "His contributions have been many and varied, including assembling a terrific faculty and staff. He has led numerous searches for key administrative positions as he worked to recruit top level talent to the district.
[he] has a unique blend of training and experience in public school teaching and administration as well as in the private sector as a human resources executive in the corporate world."
Swerdlick aided in the development of the district’s Professional Evaluation and Growth System (PEGS) and helped further update the process by which teachers are evaluated with the Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning (TEPL) Committee.
"He is fair, understanding and cares about the people he’s entrusted with," said president of the New Canaan Education Association (NCEA) Vivian Birdsall. "People have enormous respect for Steve."
Swerdlick'sretirement officially goes into effect on June 30, 2012.
