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Candidates elevate teacher retention, workplace conditions and recruitment as top priorities
Summary
All three superintendent finalists said teacher and staff wellbeing, recruitment and retention must be addressed to improve student outcomes, proposing improved working conditions, clearer staffing models and targeted professional learning.
Teacher and staff recruitment, retention and working conditions emerged as a central theme at the Waterbury Public Schools superintendent forum, with all three candidates saying a satisfied workforce is foundational to student success.
Why it matters: Candidates argued that without stable staffing and improved working conditions, schools cannot sustain academic gains or expand required services for special education and multilingual learners.
What candidates said: Dr. White said, “If we don't have a happy workforce, a happy workforce, we are not achieving the goals we need for our students,” and listed supplies, safety and basic classroom tools as starting points. Dr. Schwartz described worker satisfaction as one of his priorities and praised central-office efforts to reduce special-education vacancies from higher levels.
Dr. Lewis framed the work as an urgent relay race and said leaders must create conditions that let educators “show up as your best self,” recommending individualized managerial approaches, attention to work–life balance and measurable accountability for leaders who support staff.
Proposed actions: Candidates suggested routine staff engagement by building and content area, investments in professional learning, better data on staffing needs, and incentives or targeted recruitment to fill gaps in special education and multilingual programs. Dr. Lewis also recommended public advocacy for state funding to support recruitment and retention efforts.
No formal decisions: These were policy positions presented during interviews; the board did not adopt personnel actions or funding allocations at the forum.
