Last year, Hartford's board of education decided against renewing the contract of Superintendent Christina Kishimoto beyond this coming June. Now, Kishimoto, a reformer who took the job after Steven Adamowski, is leaving.
Kishimoto told the board's leadership that she has accepted a another job.
"I thank her for all her years of service, obviously," said board member Richard Wareing. He's been critical of Kishimoto. "I think I've commented more than enough on her tenure in various public forums, and I wish her well in her new position. I hope she's happy, and I hope she succeeds."
Board Chairman Matt Poland said the new job is in Arizona. Kishimoto's city contract goes through June 30. He said she has not yet asked to be released from it. Meanwhile, the district has hired a search firm to find its next superintendent.
Wareing said, "Even before we opened the formal period for applications, I am told that we had nearly two dozen people contact the search firm and say they were interested. So I think there's a fair amount of interest in this job." He added that the board is looking for someone with leadership experience in a place like Hartford, and communication is a big priority. That's something with which Kishimoto struggled.
"Someone who could work with the, sort of, diverse group of stakeholders that we have," Wareing said, "ranging from grass roots parents organizations, all the way up to, you know, major corporate funders and backers of the district. So we're asking for a lot."
The application deadline for the job is in early March. The board wants someone in place by July 1.
