There exists a quote which, although skewed through the years, says something to the effect that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.  Then there is a more recent quote, by Hartford Public Schools Board of Education Member Walker who said, “A yes vote means to continue the current course.”

Both quotes came into play on Tuesday night as the BOE voted 5-2 (Mr. Walker voted ‘nay’) to ignore eight years of Superintendent Torres-Rodrigeuz’s failed history, and instead voted to continue the course of failed academic strategies propped up by fraudulent data, failed teacher retention strategies underscored by a poor culture and climate, and failed community engagement strategies highlighted by the fact that the only one who appeared at Tuesday’s meetings to speak in favor of the superintendent was Millie Arcienegas, who in part owes her nearly six-figure salary as head of the non-profit Hartford Parent Academy to money funneled to her from HPS.

Apparently, the litany of reasons to fire the superintendent didn’t outweigh the few, ridiculous reasons given by board members to keep her.

Newly appointed board member Kory Mills, backed by Members Browdy and Deristel-Ledger, said the following:

“If we do not vote to extend Dr. Torres-Rodriguez’s contract, she will have less than one year remaining on her contract and would not feel the support of this board throughout the duration of that year.  That situation opens a world of uncertainty that I am not willing to entertain.  A world of uncertainty that will be felt by our educators and our students.”

What this means is that the board feels that six months is not enough time to search for a replacement superintendent, and what this quote creates is a system that keeps Torres-Rodriguez in place in perpetuity, or until she decides to leave on her own (or until she is indited for one reason or another).

Keep in mind that former HPS Superintendent Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez resigned in September of 2016 and her assistant superintendent, Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, was named acting superintendent before becoming permanent superintendent three months later.  Also keep in mind that the latest vote extends Torres-Rodriguez’s contract for one year, until July 2026.  Which means that the BOE will once again entertain another contract extension in September of 2025, which puts them on the same timeline as they currently sit!

Board Members Wilson and Leger agreed on another reason to extend the contract of Torres-Rodriguez, a reason which strengthens the system from within that protects the superintendent.  Both stated that the former board of education, along with Torres-Rodriguez (mostly Torres-Rodriguez), had set goals that in their evaluation of her performance they felt she had met.  Thus, said Wilson, based on her meeting those goals, it wouldn’t be prudent to then fire her.

First, the former board that “helped” set those goals, did not extend her contract in May of this year, despite having gone through more than one evaluation, and the former board even denied her a bonus in December of last year.  Secondly, not one board member voting in favor of extending the contract mentioned or discussed academics.  Let’s be clear, the secretive evaluations of the superintendent do not contain goals that are directly related to academic success.

Board Chair Hockenhull revealed to the Regular Meeting audience that she has lost her mind while giving her support to the superintendent.  Hockenhull named a “few of many accomplishments” she deemed the superintendent was responsible for.  Those three “of many” accomplishments were:

• increased graduation rates (which even Stevie Wonder could see are phony and fraudulent numbers),

• the formation of School Governance Councils (SGCs are mandated by the state, not a Torres-Rodriguez inspiration),

• and improved teacher diversity (while overall teacher vacancies at the start of the school year increased 203% from 2023 to 2024).

As for Board Member Fortune, despite hearing the “troubling…concerns” of the many folks who spoke at the meeting, a few revealing that HPS is in violation of U.S. special education laws, she wondered if the “challenges” are “structural” and would be there under any superintendent, or are they based on “mis-allocation and mismanagement of resources.”  With that, she then reincarnated former Board Member Escribano’s “leap of faith” defense of the superintendent from two years ago, stating that she has “hope.”  So did Obama but then Trump was elected.  Great.

Board Member Tatum, citing his experiences as a “burned out” former teacher with “low morale” within the Torres-Rodriguez system, joined Walker in rejecting a contract extension for the superintendent.