New Canaan’s Superintendent Search Enters a New Phase

It was last call on Wednesday for applicants nationwide vying for the superintendent position opening in this summer. Dr. David Abbey that he would be retiring from the district, where he spent the last 19 years working, nine of which as the schools' chief. Board Chair Hazel Hobbs says the Board of Education along with a 17-member search committee, consisting of parents, teachers and community members, will begin reviewing the candidates and are aiming to find Abbey’s successor by April.

The process of finding a new superintendent has thus far included a great deal of community involvement and transparency, says Hobbs, who is also co-chair of the superintendent search committee. After , Cooperative Educational Services (CES) located in Trumbull, last fall, the board began from online respondents and focus groups as to what kind of leader the community was hoping to find. An astounding 758 New Canaan residents participated in the focus groups and online surveys, which CES had said was one of the largest community responses they ever received. The general consensus, says Hobbs, is that community members were seeking candidates that share similar traits to Abbey.

“In one of the focus groups, one member actually said they’d prefer ‘a clone of Dr. Abbey,’” she said. According to Hobbs, Abbey will leave behind an “ as a leader who not only focused on academics, but recognized social emotional factors that influence students and advocated for extracurricular activities such as the performing arts.

The next part of the process, however, involves a great deal of confidentiality of the applicants. “These applicants are very accomplished people and more than likely currently hold a great position in a school or district,” Hobbs said. “The Search Committee understands their privacy needs to be protected during this time.” The applicants will be whittled down to eight or nine, and from there the top five will be presented to the Board of Education for review. The final decision is ultimately made by the Board of Education.

Hobbs said she is confident in the committee’s decisions and that the committee is a strong representation of the community. “The people on the search committee and board of education care very much about education for our students,” she said. “We see it as a big community responsibility. Dr. Abbey provided a wonderful experience and we want to continue that with the new superintendent.”

Abbey’s last day will be June 30.