The Seymour school board voted to appoint Michael Wilson as superintendent Tuesday.
Wilson has been the Ansonia school district’s assistant superintendent since 2013.
In a brief interview Wednesday with The Valley Indy, Wilson credited Ansonia School Superintendent Carol Merlone for her guidance over the years.
“She is and was a tremendous mentor to me,” Wilson said.
The 44-year-old Shelton resident said Ansonia staffers worked tirelessly to improve student performance. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the school district 34th in Connecticut.
Wilson is replacing Seymour Superintendent Christine Syriac. She is retiring at the end of this school year.
Wilson’s salary is $179,500, according to school officials.
He starts in Seymour July 1.
A self-described “math guy” in previous interviews with the Valley Indy, Wilson received a mathematics degree from Fordham University in 1995.
He has a master of science in teaching from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., along with two administrative certificates from Southern Connecticut State University.
Wilson’s teaching career began as a math teacher at the Saint Catherine Academy in the Bronx, N.Y.
Wilson grew up in Eastchester, a neighborhood in the northeast Bronx, N.Y. He graduated high school from the Mount St. Michael Academy.
He taught within the Greenwich school system for 10 years before arriving in Ansonia Public Schools in December 2010. He was a district coordinator and assistant principal before becoming the district’s assistant superintendent in 2013.
He had a full plate as Ansonia’s assistant superintendent, doing everything from writing tech grant applications to overseeing the Ansonia district’s status as a state “alliance” district. The alliance program was a designation by state government that funneled extra money to schools in need, but districts had to prove the money was being used effectively.
Wilson lives in Shelton with his wife, Kelly, and their two children, Michael, 14, and Erin, 10.
The Valley Indy received the following prepared statement at 10 a.m. Wednesday:
May 16, 2017
Seymour Hires Michael Wilson as New Schools Superintendent
The Seymour Board of Education has selected Michael Wilson to be the next superintendent of schools. He is will begin his new duties July 1, 2017. Wilson comes to Seymour after being the assistant superintendent of Ansonia schools since July 2013. Before that, the Shelton resident was assistant principal for Ansonia High School, a district coordinator for mathematics and science for Ansonia’s schools, and a teacher in Greenwich and several schools in New York.
Wilson graduated from Fordham University with a BA degree in Mathematics Economics and an MST degree in Mathematics Education from Iona College. He obtained his administrative (092) and superintendent (093) certifications from Southern Connecticut State University.
The superintendent search was conducted by Cooperative Educational Services in Trumbull.
Statement from Michael Wilson:
“I will represent the Seymour Public Schools in a professional manner. It is my belief we can continue to grow through teamwork and collaboration. It is my sincere desire to do all I can to carry out the mission of the Seymour Public Schools and to create and foster a collaborative relationship with the Board of Education, administration, teachers, parents, and students. I look forward to cultivating this relationship for many years to come. It is my honor to be chosen to lead this wonderful school district.”
Statement from Yashu Putorti, Seymour school board chair:
“The Seymour Board of Education is pleased to announce the election of Michael Wilson as our next superintendent of schools. Michael was chosen from a strong pool of candidates. He presented himself in a manner that established confidence on the part of the Board of Education. He presented himself with a good understanding of the present and future needs of our school district. We are looking forward to working with Michael and our strong leadership team to build upon our successes as we strive to improve education for all of our students.”
