New superintendent starts at Seymour public schools

SEYMOUR — More than 1,400 candidates were vetted to be the town’s superintendent of schools, from which a list of nine top candidates was eventually culled to three finalists.

Last week, the Board of Education made its ultimate decision, choosing Susan Compton to lead the school district during a special meeting Aug. 16.

After thanking the board, Compton, who spent the past eight years as a superintendent of a regional school district in New Jersey, began by acknowledging how rigorous the selection had been.

“This was a very, very thorough process,” Compton said. “I am extremely honored and humbled to be selected as your new superintendent.”

Compton’s first day on the job was Wednesday.

Originally from Kentucky, she brings four decades of experience in education to Seymour, including 16 as a superintendent and five as an assistant superintendent.

“I’m truly looking forward to a new chapter,” she said.

The school board vote was unanimous, with one abstention, from Fred Stanek.

He said Wednesday he abstained only because other obligations took him away from fully participating in the process of searching for a new superintendent.

“I think she’s an excellent choice,” Stanek said.

Board of Education Chairman Ed Strumello agreed, saying Compton brings a wealth of expertise to the position.

“For me personally, I liked her experience and that she had been a superintendent in multiple places,” Strumello said. “I thought that was important in my mind.”

Compton will need the know-how in a school district where her predecessor’s tenure ended abruptly last year after some parents disagreed with the school district’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic was a major issue in the relationship that existed between the community, the administration, the teachers and the board,” Strumello said. “There’s no doubt that the pandemic negatively impacted everything.”

And it continues to: During the public comment portion of the meeting at which Compton was hired, several speakers harangued the school board regarding the mask mandate for public schools, which Strumello pointed out is a state policy.

“The Seymour Board of Education has to follow Connecticut state laws, mandates and executive orders,” he said.

Multiple questions during Compton’s final interview touched on the issue of how she would go about repairing relationships that have been damaged recently involving school administrators, staff and the community.

She repeatedly stressed the importance of listening, communicating clearly and effectively, and teamwork.

If hired, Compton said she would put together a “communications advisory committee” of various stakeholders to gather input.