Schofield: Superintendent's departure had been in works for months

Dr. Mario Andrade's due to resign as Bristol Warren Regional superintendent effective Monday, July 1

By Ted Hayes
Posted 6/25/19

Dr. Mario Andrade will resign as superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District next Monday, July 1. The move comes after months of turmoil over behavioral and staffing issues at …

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Schofield: Superintendent's departure had been in works for months

Dr. Mario Andrade's due to resign as Bristol Warren Regional superintendent effective Monday, July 1

Posted

Dr. Mario Andrade will resign as superintendent of the Bristol Warren Regional School District next Monday, July 1. The move comes after months of turmoil over behavioral and staffing issues at Kickemuit Middle School and Hugh Cole School, as well as budget cuts that have forced district leaders to make tough choices.

School committee chairwoman Erin Schofield announced Dr. Andrade’s resignation at Monday night’s regular school committee meeting, following a roughly two-hour, closed-door session. There was no further discussion on the resignation, but Monday night’s agenda included an executive session to discuss administrators’ performance and recommendations of the committee’s personnel subcommittee. Dr. Andrade was there for the meeting.

While the departure came the same day an online petition drive began which requested that the school committee remove Dr. Andrade, Ms. Schofield made no mention of that. Instead, she wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the departure had been discussed for months:

“Dr. Andrade’s decision to resign came after months of discussion with members of the school committee,” she wrote. “Ultimately, the school committee and Dr. Andrade reached a mutual agreement for Dr. Andrade to tender his resignation as the best path forward for both the district and Dr. Andrade.”

In that same statement, Dr. Andrade said he was happy to have led the district during times of great growth:

“I am proud of many of the great leaps forward this district has taken during my tenure as Assistant Superintendent and as Superintendent,” he wrote. “I look forward to following the progress of the district, and I am confident that the next superintendent, together with the great administrators, teachers and support staff, will continue to improve on the excellent education we provide to Bristol-Warren students and families.”
School committee members are expected to appoint an interim Superintendent by Monday, July 15.

In the meantime, Ms. Schofield said Assistant Superintendent Diane Sanna will serve as the district’s acting superintendent.

Ms. Schofield also wrote of being optimistic for the district’s future:

“We wish Dr. Andrade well and thank him for his years of service to the district,” she wrote. “We will move quickly to identify and appoint an interim superintendent while we begin the search process for a permanent replacement. We are committed to conducting a widespread and comprehensive search process, with community involvement. This presents an excellent opportunity for us to bring in an inspiring new leader who can take this district to the next level, and we’re looking forward to the process.”

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