The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
SCHOOLS CHIEF RETIRING
School board official: Arts, STEM programs ‘dramatically expanded’ under her leadership
CROMWELL >> Superintendent of Schools Paula M. Talty will retire at the end of the current school year.
Talty, who announced her retirement during the Board of Education meeting Tuesday, was appointed superintendent in 2012, succeeding Matt A. Bisceglia.
In an email Wednesday night, Talty said, “This is my 37th-anda-half year in public education, which means I am eligible to retire at the end of the school year. I have been thinking and talking about retiring for a while now.”
Talty, a Worcester, Massachusetts, native, has spent the majority of her career in education, working in Cromwell. She began her career in Cromwell in 1996 as assistant principal at the Edna C. Stevens Elementary School.
In 2001, she was named as director of curriculum by thensuperintendent Mark Cohan. When Cohan left in 2005, Talty did not apply for the superintendent’s position. “I wasn’t ready then,” she said in 2012.
When Bisceglia — who hailed from the same Worcester neighborhood as Talty — was chosen as superintendent, he elevated Talty to the position of assistant superintendent. In doing so, he laid the groundwork for Talty’s eventual takeover when he retired.
“I have greatly enjoyed my time here working with an
amazing leadership team and a great staff and faculty,” Talty said in her email. “Retiring is going to provide me with the opportunity to do some of the things I have been wanting to do — and putting off.”
“I am looking forward to new adventures and continued teaching at Central Connecticut State University,” Talty said.
In an email Thursday morning, Michael Camilleri, chairman of the Board of Education, said, “I am very sad for our district, but happy for (Talty). She has been a visionary leader for the Cromwell schools, driving the deployment of new and creative programs and initiatives.
“I’ve been particularly impressed how the arts and STEM programs have dramatically expanded under her leadership. She has helped expand the school system’s relationships with the community, notably with Covenant Village and our business community,” Camilleri added.
After learning of her resignation, Mayor Enzo Faienza said he called Talty to congratulate and thank her for her service to the town. Town Manager Anthony J. Salvatore said he was “surprised” to learn of Talty’s impending retirement.
“Both in my capacity as police chief and now as town manager, I have always enjoyed a positive professional relationship with Dr. Talty,” Salvatore said Thursday afternoon. “One of the accomplishments I am most proud of came about when we worked on — and reached agreement on — the town and school district splitting the cost of putting a second school resource officer in the schools.”
And yet, despite those tributes, this school year has been marked by increasing criticism of Talty by a number of parents as well as deepening frustration among many teachers in the district. Parents, many of whom took to social media to express their upset, were particularly concerned about the frequent reassignment of teachers.
For their part, the teachers’ union, the Education Association of Cromwell, commissioned a survey of its members that resulted in a 70-plus page critique of Talty’s leadership.
Some the criticisms contained in the union survey are more general and relate to increased state and federal requirements, while others are directed at individual building principals. But a series of bar graphs point to deep dissatisfaction, with just 15 percent of the staff agreeing that morale is high in the district.
Some 58 percent of the teachers said they do not believe the superintendent and assistant superintendent have confidence in the teachers’ expertise. What’s more, fully 81 percent of those polled said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed that Talty and Assistant Superintendent John Maloney treat staff members equally.
Those finds in part led the Board of Education to create “a climate (or morale) committee” in November.
Camilleri addressed that issue in separate email.
“The Board of Ed members are always focused on continuously improving our school system so we can better serve our students and families,” he said. “We certainly understand that working in a school system has become increasingly challenging given ever-increasing demands (federal/state requirements, new curriculums, the need to address student needs in differentiated and effective ways, etc.). We encourage all of our community members to share feedback with us to help us in these efforts.”
Camilleri appointed a three-member subcommittee to study the issue and commissioned an anonymous survey sent to all employees in the district, “seeking feedback and suggestions.”
The subcommittee “is working through a review of that feedback,” Camilleri said.
Once the review is completed, “the board will work together with the district leadership and faculty staff to implement and support appropriate changes and improvements that we think will be helpful to continue to build our district,” Camilleri said.