Dr. Rydell Harrison, superintendent of the Easton, Redding and Region 9 Schools, resigned his position in a June 25 message to the Tri-Boards of Education. He assumed the position in August 2020, following the retirement of Dr. Thomas McMorran.

Following is his message of resignation:

Dear members of the Easton, Redding and Region 9 Boards of Education,

Thank you for your unanimous approval of my contract extension through June 30, 2024. After significant reflection and careful consideration, I have decided not to extend my contract with ER9 and to tender my resignation effective September 23, 2021. 

While this past school year has been challenging for all educators, I have been faced with a number of unique challenges as ER9’s superintendent that led me to question whether or not the role was a good fit for me. 

Throughout my leadership career, I have worked hard to approach my work as a student-centered educator first and an administrator second.

Unfortunately, ER9’s structure made it more difficult than I anticipated for me to strike the right balance between advancing my aspirational goals for education and handling the administrative tasks of three separate school districts.

Rather than continuing forward, I have decided to pursue opportunities outside of a traditional K-12 setting that will allow me to fully engage my passion for education and commitment to improving outcomes for all students without the heavy burdens of district administration.

As we go forward, please know that I remain committed to the work we’ve started and will provide unwavering support as the Boards prepare for this upcoming transition.

Best,

Rydell

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By Nancy Doniger

Nancy Doniger worked as a journalist for three decades and was a founding editor of the nonprofit Easton Courier in partnership with the School of Communications, Media & the Arts at Sacred Heart University (SHU). She served two years as executive member and is now a contributing editing of the Easton Courier. She was a former managing editor of Hometown Publications and Hersam Acorn Newspapers covering Connecticut's Fairfield and New Haven counties. She was a correspondent for the Connecticut section of The New York Times from 1995 until the section was discontinued in 2006. Over the years she edited The Easton Courier, The Monroe Courier, The Bridgeport News and other community newspapers. She taught news editing as an adjunct professor at SHU and served as coordinator and member of the Community Assets Network for the Easton, Redding and Region 9 schools. She was a member of the Newtown Community Center Commission, member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), board member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA), and past president and board member of the Barnard Club of Connecticut. She has won awards for her writing from SPJ and NENPA.