Special education administrator retires

RIDGEFIELD — The assistant superintendent of special services announced her retirement Friday, making her the fourth high-level administrator to leave the district in the past year.

Kim Hapken will leave Aug. 12 after two years of working in Ridgefield, where she oversaw the special education program.

The district is still looking to fill the other assistant superintendent of schools position, after Kimberly Beck announced she was resigning this spring to become the head of a private school in Washington, D.C. The district is also searching for a permanent replacement for outgoing Superintendent Karen Baldwin. The school board hired a new business manager this week.

Hapken was described as an advocate for all students with disabilities and is credited with developing the Unified Sports program at Ridgefield High School, which is set to start at the middle schools. She also added strategic professional development, according to the district.

Acting Superintendent Robert Miller congratulated Hapken on a long and successful career in special education and said he enjoyed working with her.

“She has brought steady leadership to an important domain in our district and she will be missed,” he said in a news release. “I wish her all the happiness in her retirement.”

Hapken began her professional career as a speech-language pathologist in 1980, joining Waterbury Hospital in 1984, where she created the Speech-Language Pathology Department. She left to work at schools in Naugatuck and Region 6 before beginning a 16-year career in administration in Bristol.

“Her professional dedication led her to serve on numerous committees within and beyond her district to improve practices and community understanding of the special services student,” according to the release.