Oxford Superintendent Leaving for Southington Schools in August

Oxford Superintendent Tim Connellan will be leaving the school district to take a new position with Southington Public Schools in August.

Connellan was appointed to Superintendent of Oxford Schools in 2012, pledging to bring stability after the district changed leadership four times in the 2 years prior. He gave the district 3-months notice in the hope that he will be able to help the next superintendent make a smooth transition into the position.

As he prepares to leave Oxford, Connellan was thankful for all the hard work of the district’s faculty and staff, particularly with the switch to Common Core.

“The progress the district has made realigning the curriculum with the Common Core Standards has been amazing,” he said. “We’re ready to implement them in the fall but there’s still a lot of work to do there.”

Connellan said he will work with the next administrator to continue that progress, as well as promoting a holistic K-12 view of education.

The district has started in that direction with “Vertical Integration Teams” that have been analyzing how the district’s schools work together to provide a full education as a student progresses through the system.

“The idea is to really hone that K-12 focus,” he said. “No school is an individual island.”

Tuesday, the Oxford Board of Education authorized Chairman Dianne Soracco to put together a search committee and start the process of finding a new superintendent, including looking into hiring professional headhunters.

“I have really enjoyed the work I’ve done in Oxford,” Connellan said. “I really believe the district is in a better position now than when I came 2 years ago — and that progress is sustainable.”

Connellan hopes to do similar work in Southington and plans to hit the ground running.

“First thing is to establish relationships within the community and acquire as much information as possible,” he said. “Strengthening and enhancing the connections with the community is really important as I come to Southington.”