Opinion: Bridgeport's superintendent search is a sham

Since November 2024, after getting rid of the former superintendent, firing everyone she hired (except for Deputy Superintendent Royce Avery), and virtually bankrupting the school system (all of which caused the state to intervene) the Bridgeport Board of Education has been operating for the last two years under mandated state oversight with the assistance Avery as Interim Superintendent. It's been two years of operating under a 'temporary' arrangement, while they've dragged their feet revising policy and taking other steps the state has required of them. John Weldon For the last nine months of that time, Avery has not been shy about his desire to fill the job permanently. He's done so through statements made at board meetings, and events he has hosted which have endeared him to the school, business and political communities. I personally find his degree of self-promotion for the job a bit distasteful, but I acknowledge he seems to be doing a fair job running the district. The board of ed, for its part, also appears to be more than satisfied with him, as they recently gave him a 10% ($25,000) salary increase. Why, then, do they not just hire him? Instead, they've spent the better part of the last year looking for a search firm, finally settling on Zeal Educational Group, and developing an extensive process with that firm to solicit information from all segments of the community about what they want to see in the next superintendent, when those very same segments of the community have already made it clear that they are happy with Avery. The school board, at its most recent meeting, announced that candidate interviews would not be conducted publicly, with no reason given. When board member Andre Woodson expressed his objection to that, he was summarily shut down by the Chair. Ostensibly, this is being done to protect candidate confidentiality to foster maximum applicants and to protect the process from interests trying to promote certain candidates. However, the next day, a graphic was circulating on social media, with Avery's picture, encouraging the community to come out to community forums to 'Support Dr. Avery being the next Superintendent.' Was this developed by board members, the Superintendent's office, or other board of education staff? In the end, the Bridgeport Board of Education does it again. The hiring process is a sham and has been hijacked before it has even started. If the board wants to hire Avery, it is disingenuous of them to hire a search firm (which they've gotten the state to pay for) and engage community stakeholders about what they want in a new superintendent, while allowing Avery to promote himself for the past nine months to those very same stakeholders. If the board of education really cares about doing what's best, they will either stop wasting everyone's time and hire Avery, or back off and let the process play out legitimately without anyone promoting one candidate or another. John Weldon is a former member of the Bridgeport Board of Education and served five years as its Chairman from 2017 to 2022.