Stamford Officials on Next Schools Chief

The will soon engage in a nationwide search for its next superintendent, although some board members are willing to consider a more familiar face for candidacy.

"I'm not part of the search process," SPS interim superintendent Winifred Hamilton told Patch. In a recent article, Stamford Board of Education member Julia Wade that if Hamilton wanted to be considered a candidate for a permanent role as superintendent, Wade would consider it.

"A month or so ago, I was asked if I wanted to be a candidate for it," Hamilton said. "If I became a candidate, I would not be able to be in the role of the interim, because that would discourage other candidates from possibly applying...I said that I would want, in this dark period of transition, to stay and bring some stability to this district, and therefore did not put my name in as a candidate for the superintendency."

Hamilton, familiar with the superintendent search if not a part of it, places the following as her choice qualities in a new superintendent, as echoed by  "a profile prepared for the Stamford Board of Education":

• Visionary
• Accessible, approachable and visible in the schools and community
• Integrity and courageous
• Inspirational team builder with commitment
• Decisive, confident and objective problem solver with good judgment and resilience.

Jerry Pia, Vice President, Board of Education

• "When we were doing the focus groups...we had qualities and qualifications that people were looking for, and I thought that they really fit Dr. Hamilton, and that she'd be a great choice. There's a group of us that would really love to have her as superintendent without having a superintendent search," Pia told Patch.

• "Personally, I'm looking for someone who is a sitting superintendent; someone who's a superintendent right now. Someone who wants to move to Stamford and live here, be part of the community. Looking for someone with a strong curriculum background, and in a place like Stamford, [someone who can] get along in the political arena," Pia said. 

It is Pia's 5th superintendent search, and he has served on the Board of Education for a combined 21 years.

Jackie Heftman, Board of Education

• "For me, the most important quality is a proven track record for improving achievement. There was a whole list of criteria that was developed within focus groups that we had...there were many qualities that the community was interested in," Heftman told Patch.

• "I think she [Hamilton] is doing an admirable job as interim superintendent, and I believe that she has all the qualifications. If she would like to put her name in the hat, I would assume that we would consider it seriously," Heftman said.