Ramos, who will begin Aug. 1 and pay us a visit April 7, has decades of experience in district administration. But he also had a troubled history at the Bridgeport, CT., district, where he was eventually fired after tangling with some school board members and seeing the poor district taken over briefly by the state.
A good layout of what happened was posted by the Connecticut Post a few years back. See it HERE.
Our school board has been criticized by some for announcing his hiring, which still must be formally approved at the next school board meeting, without any prior warning or input about his selection. He is set to take a five-year deal at $175,000 per year.
His hiring comes at a time when the state salary cap for superintendents is a major factor. It is unknown who else applied for the job, or who did not because of the salary limits.
We spoke with a Bridgeport reporter at the Post who said the district's problems were less a result of Ramos than of poor funding for a very urban district and school board infighting.
Still, his past involvement in such a troubled district and its past need for state oversight raises concerns.
Ramos also runs a consulting firm on education issues. It is not known how much time is spent on it, but some believe that is at least a concern, and a possible conflict of interest. We reached out to the district to ask if this would be allowed in his new contract, that has not been addressed.
Finally, it appears Ramos' letter to the district posted at the district website HERE, is almost verbatim the same letter he put out to residents in Groton, Ct. two years ago when he took a job there. Does that matter? Perhaps not. But it is interesting to think he would not even write up an original version for a new job.
Clearly, this is an appointment that needs more answers before it is completed. The next school board meeting is not until April 27, but a special meet and greet with Ramos is set for April 7.
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