State Ed Commissioner Quitting, Citing Stress

By Stephanie Reitz

GLASTONBURY (AP) — Connecticut Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan notified state leaders on December 21 that he will resign in two weeks, citing the stress of the high-profile position.

Mr McQuillan sent a letter to state Board of Education members and other state officials about his plans to leave the position effective January 5. His departure coincides with the start of the term of incoming Governor Dan Malloy, who will choose his replacement.

Mr McQuillan, 62, who has been state education commissioner since 2007, said in his letter that he made his decision Monday.

“I realized that I no longer wanted to do this work, and saw all too plainly that the stresses of my job are more than they should be and more than I am willing to accept,” he wrote.

He confirmed his departure when reached at his Glastonbury home on Tuesday night, but he would not comment further nor discuss specifics.

Mr McQuillan is a former deputy commissioner and chief operational officer for the Massachusetts Department of Education. He came to Connecticut after serving as president of EDCO Collaborative, a nonprofit provider of education services in Boston.

He began his career as an English teacher in a Newton, Mass., middle school in the early 1970s.

Gov-elect Malloy said on Tuesday that he will work with state education board members to find an interim commissioner while searching for Mr McQuillan’s permanent successor.

Mr Malloy previously said the education commissioner position was among several for which he was launching a nationwide search, though Mr McQuillan had been encouraged to express interest and would be considered for reappointment if he wished.

“I’d like to thank Commissioner McQuillan for his hard work on behalf of our state’s school children and wish him the best moving forward,” Mr Malloy said following the announcement.