Stamford Board of Education to name new superintendent next week

By Ignacio Laguarda,         

STAMFORD — In a week, the city’s Board of Education is expected to welcome a new Stamford Public Schools superintendent.

The board’s tentative plan is to vote on the new district leader at its regular meeting on April 28, said board President Andy George

The appointee will replace current Superintendent Tamu Lucero, who will stay in her role until the end of June. After her term ends, Lucero will become the director of the International School of Kenya, a private school in Nairobi for students from pre-K to 12th grade. 

George said the three finalists for the Stamford position are all acting superintendents. He said the search process, lead by consultant firm Zeal Education Group, has yielded strong candidates.

“When we asked them why are you considering Stamford, quite often it is the diversity of the population, it’s the progress we’ve made in the district,” George said.

Zeal conducted 74 community meetings that helped build a blueprint for the ideal candidate. The job posting for the position went up in January and the leadership profile developed by Zeal called for a candidate who will be visible as the new superintendent, as well as “emotionally intelligent” and engaged with the community.

The original candidate pool of 27 — from 11 different states — was whittled down to a list of six semifinalists in March. The group was thinned to three finalists before the final candidate will be presented to the board next week.

The school board conducted in-person interviews with the finalists, who also underwent a vetting process including background checks by Zeal.