Just as the Board of Ed Welcomes a New Member, Another Resigns

After three and a half years as a member of the Board of Education, Susan Hamilton announced at Tuesday's board meeting that she was resigning from her position because she was moving to Westport.

"I will miss being in this spot," Hamilton said. "It's been an interesting ride, and I will come back and sit on the other side" as a spectator at board meetings, she said. Her resignation will take effect June 7. On June 10, she said, the closing on her house is scheduled.

Hamilton said she needed to move from her 5 Overlook Dr. home and was able to find an affordable place "that wasn't very expensive and that would take animals" so that her dog could continue to live with her.

Hamilton's resignation comes soon after that of Erin Halsey, who left to become city clerk in Mayor Richard A. Moccia's office. On Tuesday her replacement, Artie Kassimis, sat in her old seat for the first time at a board meeting.

Kassimis, a Republican who had run against state Sen. Bob Duff, had earlier run for the Board of Education and had lost to Heidi Keyes by six votes.

Now retired, Hamilton was a special education teacher in Stamford. Her own children, now grown, attended Norwalk public schools. She was one of the first teachers to be trained in mentoring other teachers, and she mentored a teacher over the past school year, along with four students.

Hamilton said she plans not only to attend future board meetings, but to be a substitute teacher for special education in Norwalk schools.

As did Halsey, Hamilton said that helping to select Susan Marks as superintendent of schools was one of the most important things she did as a board of education member.

One of the aspects of her position on the board that she most enjoyed was visiting the schools, Hamilton said.

While she was visiting a class in one school, one of the students said, "So, are you responsible for us not getting ice cream at lunch?"

"'Well,' I said, 'I'm not totally responsible, but I think it's a good idea,' and I explained why."

At one point she "adopted" a fifth-grade class at Fox Run Elementary School. "I said to the kids, 'If you need something, write a letter to me.'" One student asked why they couldn't have a whiteboard in their classroom. Hamilton spoke with an official in the city Education Department, and a whiteboard was put in the classroom.

"So it was a tremendous opportunity for me to say, 'This is how government works,'" she said.

Board members Glenn Iannacone and R  Colarossi both said at the meeting that Hamilton had been a pleasure to work with on the board, and they would miss her.