STRATFORD -- The town school board has begun its search for a new superintendent and is aiming to appoint a top administrator to lead the district by the end of the school year.
The board voted this week to start the process of finding Uyi Osunde's replacement by hiring the Wethersfield-based Connecticut Association of Boards of Education to help conduct the search effort.
Board Chairperson Michael Henrick said the seven-member panel is hoping to identify the district's next superintendent as soon as late April and have them start by July 1.
"We're looking to make sure that we find the best candidate for Stratford and somebody who understands Stratford," Henrick said in an interview.
The launch of the search process comes about a month after Osunde, a former Windsor principal who was appointed superintendent in 2021, resigned following a protracted employment dispute with the board.
The conflict began late last year when Osunde, 42, was arrested at his New Haven home on a since-dismissed misdemeanor charge that prompted the board to place him on administrative leave and investigate his conduct.
Osunde sued the board in federal court earlier this year in a lawsuit alleging his suspension was motivated by discrimination. The two sides, however, agreed to settle the suit in October as part of an agreement that included a mutual separation.
"Dr. Osunde is a very talented and dedicated educator and all members of the board wish Dr. Osunde the best in his future endeavors and as he progresses in his career," board members said in a joint statement issued after reaching the settlement.
The board last embarked on a superintendent search four years ago this month when it selected Trumbull-based Cooperative Educational Services to help identify candidates. The search wrapped up about three months later and resulted in Osunde's appointment.
According to Henrick, the board, which is now made up of entirely new members due to strict term limits imposed on elected members, is expected to pay CABE $13,000 to lead the new search.
Henrick said he anticipates the firm will identify about 8 to 10 superintendent candidates who will then be interviewed by board members as part of a process that will also involve district staffers and community members.
Board member Christopher Cormier said a panel committee selected CABE and its consultant Mary Broderick over a couple of other search firms due to the organization's deep ties to the state and familiarity with Stratford.
"She knows what she's doing," Cormier said of Broderick. "She's local."
Henrick said the search will be open to candidates across the country as well as within the school system, adding that he would like to see Acting Superintendent Heather Borges, who has helmed the district since Osunde's suspension, apply for the role.
"She's set the benchmark for what a good superintendent does, including how they collaborate and how they communicate," Henrick said. "She's constantly bringing creative, innovative ideas to the board and she works well with everybody."