West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus announced Wednesday that there will be a number of leadership changes in the administration.

By Ronni Newton

The news shared Wednesday of the impending retirement of Assistant Superintendent Andy Morrow has led to a domino effect of changes in the leadership of West Hartford Public Schools, with several promotions also announced by Superintendent Paul Vicinus.

“First, I would like to thank and congratulate Dr. Andy Morrow, Assistant Superintendent for Administration on his impending retirement at the end of this school year,” Vincinus said in a letter to West Hartford Public Schools families on Wednesday. “Andy has served the district selflessly and with great dedication as a building leader and member of the executive team.  His career in education has spanned for over three decades and I count him among the most knowledgeable and trusted of educational leaders I have had the privilege to know and work alongside. His guidance, teamwork, and expertise have been an invaluable asset for the district and for me personally. I wish him every happiness and continued personal and professional success as he embarks on this next chapter of life,” Vicinus said.

Morrow, whose children graduated from Conard High School, has been Assistant Superintendent of Administration since 2014 – other than serving as interim superintendent in the district following the departure of Tom Moore in July 2022 until Vicinus was named to the permanent superintendent position in May 2023.

“It has been a privilege to be a part of the West Hartford community as both an educator and a dad these past 16 years,” Morrow told We-Ha.com.

Vicinus said it was “with great pride and excitement” that he announced the promotions within the executive team.

Asst. Superintendent Andy Morrow and Conard Principal Julio Duarte. Breakfast on the Bridge. Sept. 12, 2017. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

Morrow “leaves big shoes to fill,” Vicinus said, announcing that he has appointed Julio Duarte to assume the position of Assistant Superintendent of Administration as of July 1, 2025.

Duarte, who was formerly the Conard High School principal, has been Executive Director of Human Resources since 2022, taking over after Town Manager Rick Ledwith was appointed to his current position.

Duarte was hired as a guidance counselor at Conard in 2003 and named assistant principal in 2009, and was was named Conard’s interim principal in 2013 after Peter Cummings left for a regional position. His formal appointment as Conard principal was in January 2014.

Julio Duarte was appointed director of Human Resources for West Hartford Public Schools effective Feb. 1, 2022. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

“Julio is a talented and energetic leader with decades of service to the district, most recently as our Executive Director of Human Resources, a position in which he’s excelled for the last three years,” Vicinus said, noting Duarte’s re-crafting of the educator development and evaluation plan as well as plans to increase educator diversity and overhaul processes and systems to increase efficiency.

At Conard, Duarte, “demonstrated himself as a genuine educational leader, innovator, and change agent. Throughout all of the various positions he’s held, Julio has not only demonstrated exceptional competence, commitment, and character, he has also brought a lens of systemic improvement and long-term vision; skills that will serve him well in his new position,” said Vicinus.

“He balances his capacity for operational management with a deep commitment to staff personal well being. His background in school counseling, his proven leadership as principal and within human resources makes him an ideal candidate to support families and schools as our next Assistant Superintendent for Administration,” Vicinus said.

Vicinus has already identified someone from within the district to fill the gap created in the Human Resources leadership role, and also announced Wednesday that Aiken Elementary School Principal Shannon Mlodzinski has been tapped for that position.

Aiken Principal Shannon Mlodzinski was honored with the “Build No Fences” award at the annual Breakfast on the Bridge. Sept. 11, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

He noted that he “sought a leader with a deep sense of empathy, courage, compassion and a true commitment to wanting and achieving the best for the district … to take on the challenge and responsibility to ensure the needs of our staff and the stewardship of our district hiring continues to excel and improve,” and Mlodzinski, who has been principal for the past nine years, has proven herself as a model leader.

Mlodzinski received the Bridge Family Center’s prestigious “Build No Fences” award last fall, and Vicinus said she is a leader “who sets the example for others to follow instructionally, morally and ethically. Shannon has invested deeply in the Aiken community as well as within the district at large, gaining not only the trust and support of students and staff, parents and care-givers, but also by virtue of the development and strengthening of true family bonds among all of those with whom she interacts.

“I am certain that the partnerships she bridges, the wisdom she imparts and the leadership she demonstrates will carry forward a commitment to excellence within the organization,” he added.

“Leaving West Hartford and Connecticut is made easier knowing great leaders like Julio and Shannon are in place to continue the amazing work on behalf of our families,” Morrow said. “I look forward to following their work from afar as my wife and I are planning to be expats for a couple of years and travel the world.”

Vicinus congratulated Morrow, Duarte, and Mlodzinski, and said the search for a new principal at Aiken will commence immediately.

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