This letter will serve to remind you that in 1985, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation requiring local and regional boards of education to notify the Commissioner of Education of impending appointments of Superintendents and Acting Superintendents of Schools. Specifically, this means that anyone not holding a current valid Connecticut certificate, including candidates for positions such as superintendents, must meet the testing requirements of the statute. Candidates for the superintendent's certificate should be encouraged to file credentials with the teacher certification office as early in the selection process as possible to provide candidates with the time necessary to obtain and present all required documents to the Bureau of Certification. A local or regional board of education may, with the approval of the Commissioner of Education, appoint as acting superintendent a person who is not appropriately certified, for a period not to exceed 90 days.
State law contemplates the position of acting superintendent to be of short duration.
Extension of approval beyond the 90-day period may be granted only upon a showing of good cause. In this context, please be sure to expedite the process of hiring a new superintendent with the goal of not going beyond the latest extension date. The appointee shall hold or be eligible for Connecticut Intermediate Administrator or Supervisor Certification or other appropriate Connecticut administrative or supervisory certification. The local or regional board of education should submit to the Commissioner the name and address of the person to be appointed as acting superintendent of schools as soon as that information is available. The written notification should also include the date of beginning service and specified period of time for the appointment, the appointee's social security number, and indication of Connecticut intermediate administrative or supervisory certification or superintendent certification.