New London Republicans want a say in search for new superintendent

School board president says request from city’s GOP is unreasonable

New London — Republican candidates for the Board of Education want the current school board to wait until after the November elections to choose a new school chief.

It’s a request that school board President Scott Garbini said is unreasonable considering the fact that retiring Superintendent Manuel Rivera could be gone by as early as the end of the month.

“The current board has a district to run and that’s what we will be doing. We are not waiting,” Garbini said.

The board, composed of six Democrats and one Green Party member, plans to meet on Tuesday for the start of a discussion on possible interim superintendent candidates.

Garbini said he intends to name the entire board as the interim search committee and start the process of considering resumes and setting up interviews with potential candidates. A full search committee will be named at a later date, he said.

In a written statement released Tuesday, the six endorsed Republican school board candidates point out that just three of the current school board candidates are seeking re-election.

“We want to make it known to the current board that this decision is not one they should be making,” the statement reads.

Republican Town Committee Chairwoman Shannon Brenek said there is much at stake for the school district, not the least of which is the transition into the state’s first all-magnet school district.

“We need to get this right,” Brenek said.

Republicans have at least one backer of the idea on the school board.

Democrat Jason Catala, a former Republican, said he did not think the school board could afford to wait until after the election to start considering candidates but would like to see Republican candidates and perhaps others from outside the school board be included in the search committee.

“The time frame is so difficult. We have to start the process now,” Catala said. “But I don’t think (the search committee) should just be the Board of Education.”

School board member Mirna Martinez, a Green Party candidate for the board who was formerly cross-endorsed by Republicans, had a pragmatic response to the request of Republicans.

“If we don’t have a permanent superintendent by the time the new (Board of Education) takes office, the new school board will choose the next superintendent,” Martinez said. “If we find a great candidate prior, it would be foolish to wait.”

Republican candidates for the Board of Education are Dan Docker, Steve Kirsch, Karen Paul, Joe Muscarella, Dylan Wardwell and Thomas Spencer Wise.

The Connecticut Working Families Party has endorsed Alisha Blake.

Martinez, Catala and Garbini all have been endorsed by their respective parties. Other Democratic candidates for the board include Jeffery Hart, Wanda Cotto, Mark Matson, Regina Mosley and Robert DeRobbio. Board members Margaret Mary “Peg” Curtin, Zachary Leavy, Sylvia Potter and Aracelis Haye are not seeking re-election.