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NORWALK, Conn. – Opinions vary on the appointment of an interim superintendent for Norwalk Public Schools. But two key leaders, who are usually at odds, agreed: Tony Dadonna is a good choice.
Is Tony Dadonna the right choice for interim superintendent?
View Results"He has a familiarity with the district, the players, the people, the programs, the protocol, you know – the whole culture of what goes on or sometimes doesn't go on," Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, said of Dadonna, who is currently the assistant superintendent.
"He knows who the players are in town," said Jack Chiaramonte, Board of Education chairman. "He works with the board very well. To go out and hire someone else would be ridiculous."
Dadonna was named interim superintendent in a 7-2 vote Tuesday in a Board of Education meeting that Mellion said was "as ugly and nasty as we've seen in a long time." Board members Sue Haynie and Mike Barbis wanted to review other resumes, Chiaramonte said.
Haynie said by email she would support Dadonna, even though she feels a "status quo mindset" led to the vote.
Dadonna would be in charge for "up to about six months," Chiaramonte said.
There was a sense of urgency involved in the choice, Mellion said. "They needed an interim superintendent who they could put in place quickly, who really knew the district and could keep it moving forward seamlessly and that's why I believe that they selected Tony," he said.
Chiaramonte has since heard accusations that Dadonna is "in cahoots" with "certain people," that he is "buddy, buddy" with the unions and "Sal Corda's man."
Nothing could be further from the truth, Chiaramonte said. Dadonna and Corda, the superintendent before Marks, were "diametrically opposed," he said.
"He always had to respect the superintendent that he works for," Chiaramonte said. "They prevented Tony from doing a lot of things, of holding people accountable."
Dadonna and the board discussed the issue, Chiaramonte said. He thinks that Dadonna will be much more effective than "a retiree looking for a paycheck," a person who wouldn't work late and who would start from scratch. "He has been the utility man who basically has held this district together at many points," Chiaramonte said, referring to previous periods without a superintendent.
Dadonna is "a person who has always thought for himself," Mellion said. "Placeholders, interim superintendents who don't know the districts, really don't do anything. Tony has the potential to do more because he knows more."
Comments (5)
Tony is an excellent choice. He holds people accountable. He gets things done. We need to support him and let him get to work on making Norwalk child centered.
And don't forget that one of the district's true visionary educators has also left the district, leaving Nathan Hale to languish.
NRWLKParent and Trainwarrior are right on the money. The wrong people want Mr. Daddona to have that job. Mr. Mellion, Dr. Moore and Mr. Ditrio are no doubt salivating over the influence they can now have. The comments from the chair of the board and the president of the NFT suggest that the board leadership and the union president (not to be confused with the rank-and-file NFT membership) are looking to continue the direction the district has been traveling. Who in his right mind thinks that that is anything other than a downward spiral?
Given the dire straights of the school system, there is a need for visionary leadership NOW, not in another 6 months.
Are you using a crystal ball to see the future? Nathan Hale will languish?
Bob was not and is not the only person that made Nathan Hale a great school. The staff who stood behind him deserves a lot of credit; which is denied when you make such an insensitive statement.
When Bob joined the Nathan Hale team, he made it very clear that he would move on in five years. He stayed for seven. His time was up; and, that is that. It would be a good idea to just accept it and stop blaming others for his departure. It is presumptuous to think that the rest of the staff is not trained well to keep the wheel rolling.
True visionary? How well did you know him? Did you work with him? Did you stop and wonder that perhaps someone else could do an even better job?
Now, people are griping about Tony. We hired superintendents from the outside and where are we now?
Do you have a particular visionary in mind?
So Mellion and Chiaramonte support him. I think that says it all. This is not good.
Another words, TD knows where all the skeletons are in the closets of our system. God forbid our system take a chance and look for a new person. I find it interesting that the superintendent and the principal of NHS all leave with only 1 year or less of notice essentially leaving the children to deal with the lack of good, effective leadership.