He brought a tremendous vision of how service should be provided,'' said Mathew Borrelli, an interim superintendent brought in during the summer of 1998. The result was a board of trustees that didn't bow to pressure, be it the neighborhood pastor, angry parents or its own employees. Of course officials are years from declaring victory in Hartford. Just two in 10 fourth graders are reaching state goals for reading, for example. But Sergi believes what's changed is that Furek and others have shown that success is possible, even if it has to come under state control.
Schools are cleaner.
For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, incompetent school principals are being replaced. Textbooks are plentiful. Test scores are up under a renewed emphasis on reading, writing and math. He was able to tackle the business end of it. A lot of that got cleaned up,'' said Kathy Evans, a parent and one-time board member.