Stamford Board of Ed Poised to Appoint Interim School Superintendent

The Stamford Board of Education (BOE) is expected to name James A. Connelly as interim superintendent at its Dec. 8 meeting, the school district announced on Friday.

Most recently, Connelly served as interim superintendent in Norwalk from January through July 2015. Connelly’s contract will be effective starting Jan. 1. He will be meeting with Superintendent Winifred Hamilton during the month of December. Following a tumultuous year that included a teacher-student sex scandal at Stamford High School, Hamilton announced earlier this year that she would retire Dec. 31.

“Mr. Connelly has served as interim superintendent in many Connecticut school districts,” Stamford BOE President Jackie Heftman said in a statement. “The board believes his broad experiences as superintendent, interim superintendent, and teacher give him the right skill set to lead Stamford Public Schools while we search for a new superintendent.”

Since retiring in 2000 as superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools, a position he held for 18 years, Connelly has served as an interim superintendent in several districts across the state. In addition to Norwalk, he worked as interim in Killingly, Putnam, District 16 (Prospect/Beacon Falls), Montville, Woodbridge, Oxford, and Naugatuck. Prior to becoming superintendent in Bridgeport, Connelly served as both associate and assistant superintendent there. He also worked as director of Pupil Personnel Services in upstate Berlin, and as a special education teacher in Ridgefield, Greenwich and Fairfield.

Connelly works with the New England School Development Council as an education consultant specializing in executive searches. He has conducted more than 30 searches for superintendents and other school administrators. Connelly holds a Master of Arts degree and Professional Diploma of Advanced Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science from Southern Connecticut State University.

Connelly is chair of the Board of Directors of the Child and Family Guidance Center. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Housatonic Community College Foundation and the City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport.

Photo: James Connelly via Norwalk Public Schools.