Rocky Hill Superintendent Reflects On His Position

Dr. Mark F. Zito was appointed the new superintendent of schools by the Board of Education and began his job July 1.

So he has been on the job for a little more than 100 days and took some time to reflect on his first 100 days as the man in charge of the Rocky Hill Public Schools.

"There are a lot of positives," Zito said. "The community is very focused on doing the right things for the students. There is a lot of parental involvement and we have a terrific staff. I'm very happy I came here."

Since April 2009, Zito served as the superintendent for the East Hartford Public Schools. He was previously the director of human resources for the Simsbury Public Schools and principal at Hartford Public High School.

A search committee selected six candidates for the superintendent's position, which was then whittled down to three finalists. From those three, Zito was selected by the Board of Education.

"Facilities, especially the high school renovation, is the biggest challenge, but a good challenge," Zito said. "We are being very proactive and we will have a first-rate high school, one that the town can be proud of."

Zito said there is no typical day as they are all different.

"As the superintendent you are doing everything," he said. "You could be preparing for a Board of Education meeting. You could have an institutional meeting at any of the schools. You could be talking about curriculum with the principals or assistant superintendent. You could be dealing with staffing. You have to be ready for anything on any given day. You have to be very well versed on a wide range of issues. You also know you are going to spend a number of nights out every week. It could be a Board of Ed. meeting or a PTO meeting."

Despite the requirements of the job and the challenges of the job, Zito is extremely happy to be in Rocky Hill.

"It's an enjoyable job even though there are a lot of different things that get thrown at you," Zito added. "You try to remain focused on what is best for the students and in the best interest of the school district. It has been great so far and I'm happy to be here."