You wouldn’t know it through local media channels, but at their December Regular Board Meeting, two-thirds of the Hartford School Board, on a 4-2 vote, appointed Paul Foster, from the Springfield, Massachusetts school district, as Deputy Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools. This was the Board’s first formal opportunity to meet and question the perspective Deputy, just minutes before casting a vote on his employment – why do the whole vetting process thing when a rubber stamp will do just as well.

Mr. Foster spent 12 years in the Springfield Schools Superintendent’s cabinet, assisting in “re-imaging education” and supplying “instructional innovation,” according to Hartford Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez. Mr. Foster’s instructional guidance in Springfield was “accomplished” without an educational degree, according to his resume. Springfield schools are less accomplished as 33% of students are not meeting expectations as measured by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). This does not mean that 67% are meeting expectations. Massachusetts adds the more liberal category of “Partially Meeting Expectations,” where 49% of Springfield students fall, with only 18% of district students “Meeting or Exceeding Expectations.” For Springfield high schoolers taking the SAT, their average score of 845 comes in below the national average of 1050. Despite his successes with innovative technological programs, Mr. Foster’s 12-year instructional innovation tenure in Springfield has yet to bear fruit.

During the Hartford Board’s questioning of Mr. Foster, it was his lack of educational instruction in the classroom that concerned two Board members. Elected Board members Shonta Browdy and Tyrone Walker voiced their concerns over Mr. Foster’s lack of an educational degree and the absence of any teaching experience, leading Miss Browdy to state that the two top positions in the school district are now held by folks with no teaching experience; “not knowing what it is to teach,” although Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez did do a stint as a teacher at Capital Community College. In response to Browdy and Walker’s concerns, appointed Board member Dr. Jim Shmerling (his doctorate is in health administration) sought rhetorical affirmation from the Superintendent as to whether the “job description” for Deputy Superintendent required teaching experience as well as requiring the candidate for the job be a resident of Connecticut, which Mr. Foster, in response to a question from Miss Browdy, could not provide any definite plans to become. To Mr. Shmerling’s questions, the Superintendent stated that Hartford had no such requirement. Mr. Shmerling obviously felt these questions were ridiculous, to which he made a ridiculous comparison. As to having teaching experience as a requirement to lead teachers, Mr. Shmerling stated that if that were the case, he wouldn’t have his job, President and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; I lead doctors without being a doctor. I’m quite sure students would be less concerned if Mr. Foster walked into a classroom than a patient would be if Mr. Shmerling walked into an operating room.

With limited knowledge got only through a reading of Connecticut’s State Board of Education website, it appears that more investigation is required as to whether Mr. Foster is currently legally certified to hold the position to which he was named, despite the Superintendent’s matter of fact response that no teaching experience is required by Hartford Public Schools. However, such a requirement for Connecticut certification of a Superintendent (O93) or Intermediate Administrator or Supervisor (O92) does appear to exist according to the Connecticut State Board of Education, which states that these positions require “50 months of successful teaching experience or service.” As to these certifications, the O92 and O93 (which Board members were confused as to which one he had and which one he didn't have), Mr. Foster stated that he plans on enrolling in classes needed to obtain the 092, but that he has an equivalent Massachusetts certification for the O93, which he states is valid through reciprocity with Connecticut. Well, according to the Connecticut State Board of Education, no reciprocity of this kind exists, stating, “There is no interstate agreement for administrative endorsements. Therefore, a full evaluation indicated in Connecticut regulations will be completed.” Those regulations call for 50 months of “successful teaching experience or service.” Perhaps the Office for Board of Education Support for Hartford’s Board of Education, which is required under the Bylaws of the Board (9124) and exists to “provide support to the Board for conducting necessary business,” could provide documents to the Board (and the community) which show how Mr. Foster is legally qualified to hold the #2 job in Hartford Public Schools. I’m assuming the Board had insufficient documents (or time) to make a sound decision on Mr. Foster’s employment since Hartford Public Schools Policy 2215 states that the Board shall receive copies of “other materials appropriate to its decision and policy-making responsibilities” from the Superintendent through placement on the Regular Meeting agenda, yet the agenda provided to the public at the meeting and online, contain not even a resume for Mr. Foster. Surely, the Board and the community are not being kept in the dark about Mr. Foster’s qualifications.

So, what does a Deputy Superintendent do and when does he do it? Board Member Browdy, always the Board Member asking the right questions, albeit, often in a round-about, tangled way, pressed the Superintendent for understanding as to what Mr. Foster’s role would be and is he a heart beat away from the office of Superintendent. As to Mr. Foster’s role, Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez stated in a seemingly annoyed manner (matched only by the annoyance shown by appointed Board Chair Philip Rigueur), that Mr. Foster would be charged with "oversight of the district." The Superintendent did assure the Board however, that Mr. Foster would not be involved in evaluating any certified teacher. Why, because he is not certified to do so? Certified to lead but not to evaluate? As to stepping up to the plate in the absence of the Superintendent, Torres-Rodriguez stated that it could be Mr. Foster, or it also could be one of the other six-figure earning members of her cabinet. A more definitive succession answer ought to be forthcoming based on Hartford Public Schools Policy 2141, which states that the “Superintendent will implement a succession plan from among current employees” and this succession plan will be reported annually to the Board.

Prior to the Board’s light inquisition of Mr. Foster at this meeting, he was able to view Hartford Public Schools for better and for worse. The meeting began with the Superintendent giving special recognition to Hartford’s Esports champions and athletic sports champions, which included McKenzie Simpson, a member of the girls soccer team at Sports and Medical Science Academy, who scored 94 goals during her high school career, with 57 of them coming during her senior season! Amazing! This girl will one day be qualified to teach/coach women’s soccer. Following these great champions, the Public Comment section of the meeting – which Board leadership likes to call the “Dialog Session” – quickly drowned out the applause as folks commented on job ultimatums being issued to substitute teachers based on unattainable requests, comments on the bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination of students, and reports on teacher shortages and dissatisfaction. Welcome to Hartford, Mr. Foster.