Board establishes assistant superintendent executive search committee amid procedural questions

The Wethersfield Board of Education voted to establish an executive search committee to support the confidential recruitment and evaluation of candidates for the assistant superintendent position.

Board members approved motion 6b to form the committee after extended discussion about the committee's authority and how the search would comply with the board's bylaws and state open-meeting rules. "Move to establish the Wethersfield Board of Education as the assistant superintendent executive search committee," a board member read. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Superintendent Whidbey (as identified in the meeting) described the proposed process: the committee would review candidate qualifications, discuss interview outcomes, and consider potential appointments while protecting applicant privacy. He told the board the first rounds of interviews would begin the following week and estimated the pool would be reduced to six to eight candidates for first-round interviews.

Board members raised questions about whether a committee meeting could culminate that same night in a full-board hiring vote. One member noted that, under the board bylaws, a special committee's authority is limited to making recommendations, and a committee meeting held after adjournment could not result in the board taking final action that same evening. The superintendent and other members said they would work with the board attorney to clarify the process; they discussed options including conducting non-meetings (per FOIA exceptions for executive searches) or using an executive session for later-stage candidate interviews.

The board voted to form the committee and directed staff to work with legal counsel to finalize the process.

Action recorded - Motion 6b to establish the assistant superintendent executive search committee: approved (voice vote).