Assistant Superintendent Moves On

By Tanjua Damon

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Robert Kuklis is bidding farewell to the Newtown School District at the end of July to enjoy some well-deserved retirement time. But education will always be a part of who he is and what he does in the future.

Dr Kuklis entered the Newtown School System in 1994 to head curriculum and instruction for the district. He has been a part of creating new curriculum standards across the board during his stay as well as building a professional yet friendly relationship with teachers and administrators. He has many memorable moments as assistant superintendent.

“I would say there have been a lot of them,” Dr Kuklis said. “The K-12 reading and writing standards from initial concepts all the way to board approval to inception. I’m also very proud of the fact that two of our teachers, Allison Zmuda and Mary Tomaino, wrote a book, The Competent Classroom.”

The job is a challenging one with many tasks and areas to research, create, and implement, especially when it comes to standards and assessments.

“I think that juggling all the responsibilities, but keeping a real focus on incentives around curriculum instruction and assessments and establishing standards based curriculum throughout the district [is important],” Dr Kuklis said. “I think the other thing is sustaining communication with all members of the school community. Just keeping that going.”

The Newtown school community has cooperated with the initiatives of Dr Kuklis. He found the educators and administrators to be hard working and willing to change.

“I would say [they are] receptive learners. When I think of the teachers and administrators, I think they’re people who constantly challenge themselves, grow, learn. They have critical minds and basically want the best in terms of what teaching and learning provide,” he said. “They’ve certainly been open to what I’ve brought to the district. They want what’s best for the students and their learning.”

At 62, Dr Kuklis has accomplished great things, from being a teacher to a principal to assistant superintendent. He is ready for retirement, even though he would like to see more of the growth that will be taking place.

“[Retiring makes me feel] sad, I think in terms of the fact that it is the end of a career and it’s probably been a real highlight of my career,” Dr Kuklis said. “I’ve seen a lot that has happened that you would like to see more of the growth.”

Alice Stroup Jackson will be replacing Dr Kuklis. She worked previously with Wallingford Public Schools as Curriculum Department Head. She begins August 1. Ms Jackson was the special education department chairman for Newtown High School from 1985 to 1988.

“She is a highly competent person. I’m very confident she will fit in well. She has to understand the district and direction already in place. There are a lot of good things in place,” Dr Kuklis said. “There is always room for improvement. She comes with some real talents.”

It has been an exciting career for Dr Kuklis, who began teaching in 1962 as a social studies teacher. He became a principal in 1985 after teaching some college courses and spending some time as an assistant principal. He says he is proud to be an educator.

“I’m very happy I made the decision to be a teacher and an administrator. This is my life’s work,” he said. “I value the teachers and students I’ve come to know.”

Teaching is an honorable profession. He leaves this advice for current and future teachers:

“Honor it as a profession and keep in continuous dialogue with colleagues,” Dr Kuklis said. “Keep on caring for young people. This is the honorable profession.”

Dr Kuklis’ last day is July 31. He then looks forward to spending time with his wife, Louise, and children, Susan and Tim. He plans to enjoy an Alaskan cruise first and then will enjoy reading and walking, as well as working on other educational projects, such as teaching college courses.

 “I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my family,” he said. “Reading and walking.”