NILES School board offers position to Weathersfield's Adduci

The district has not had an assistant superintendent for at least the past eight years.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- By a narrow margin, the city schools board of education this morning hired an assistant superintendent, who is expected to take over the top position come this summer.
By a 3-2 vote, board members agreed to hire Rocco D. Adduci at a daily rate of $341.37. Adduci, who is superintendent of Weathersfield Local Schools, is expected to begin the new job March 8 but will not be paid until April 1, board President John H. Davis said.
"There will be 18 days that he will work, but we will not have to pay for," Davis said.
Davis said he understood that Adduci will tender his resignation to the Weathersfield school board before starting his new duties in Niles.
When reached at his office Monday morning, Adduci said he doesn't want to comment until he hears from Niles board members.
The board's decision to create the assistant superintendent position comes on the heels of the announcement by current Superintendent Patrick N. Guliano that he will resign effective July 31. Guliano could decide to stay with the district in another capacity, however.
Guliano has been superintendent of Niles schools for the past eight years. During his tenure, the board never hired an assistant superintendent.
Opponents
Board members Nick A. Bernard and Marlene O. Rhodes voted against the resolution.
Bernard said he was in favor of holding off on finding a replacement. for Guliano until this summer so the district would be able to save money.
"I think we should let the man finish his term and then we can go from there," he said.
Davis said his concern was that if the board did not hire Adduci immediately, the district might lose him altogether.
He added that though the Niles district is in state-imposed fiscal watch status, the decision to spend money on a new position is a sound one.
"Think of it as an investment," he said. "We have to present to the state by April 1 our plan to keep Niles schools out of fiscal emergency. We need the leadership of someone who can make the tough decisions. With his experience in Weathersfield, we know Rocco can do that."
In Weathersfield, severe cuts in state funding led the board of education and administrators there to make several cuts, including busing.
Davis said the Niles district will not need to spend any additional money on Adduci through July 31, since the retirement of high school Principal Michael Lastic will cover the costs.
"Rocco will work 105 days in the job but only be paid for 87 of them," Davis said. "He will make $28,285 for that time, which is in line with what some of our senior building administrators make."