Newtown Board of Education: No Interim Superintendent Yet

After at least two hours in a closed meeting Tuesday night, Newtown Board of Education chair Debbie Leidlein said the board was not ready to announce the interim superintendent position for Newtown's public schools.

"We're just not prepared to make an appointment tonight," Leidlein told reporters and one parent after meeting with other board members at the Newtown Municipal Center.

A scheduled public meeting to discuss and possibly act on the appointment was cancelled. Leidlein said the meeting had been necessary "in case the board came to a consensus."

In February, Superintendent Janet Robinson announced she would be leaving Newtown to take the helm as Stratford's Superintendent of Schools in July. Robinson has won accolades from educational organizations in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, but had already been vetted for the Stratford position prior to Dec. 14.

The board met with specialist Robert Rader last week, who recommended they pursue an interim superintendent as soon as possible to aid in a smooth transition.

"An interim superintendent comes in to help out when there's a hard situation and you don't want the next superintendent to have to deal with it," said Rader. "It enables your superintendent to come in with a clean slate."

Leidlein told reporters a meeting to continue the decision could possibly be scheduled for the upcoming week.