FAIRFIELD — School Administrative District 49 board member Andrew Carlton, of Fairfield, has resigned, saying he doesn’t have the time to give the position the attention it deserves.
The Town Council is expected to appoint a temporary board member and is accepting letters of interest from residents.
Carlton, 35, is the assistant principal at Oak Hill High School in Wales, and he will be moving into an administrative position next year at the Regional School Unit 4 central office. He lives in Fairfield with his wife and two daughters, both age 9.
With his new job and a young family, he doesn’t have enough time to commit to the position, Carlton said in an interview Thursday.
“At the end of the day, if I don’t have the time to put into the job, it won’t be fair to the students, staff and the community,” Carlton said.
Carlton won a one-year term on the board in an uncontested race last November.
He said his decision to resign has nothing to do with the school district’s proposed $25.9 million budget, which voters rejected May 19 in a referendum.
The school board adopted a trimmed-down $24.5 million budget at a May 28 meeting. A new referendum is scheduled for June 16.
Carlton announced his resignation in a letter May 22 to the Town Council. He said he didn’t talk to board members about his decision to step down before sending the letter.
Reached Thursday, board Chairman Steve Grenier said he was surprised to hear about Carlton’s resignation. Carlton is well-liked and appreciated on the board, Grenier said, but he understood his decision to leave.
“It does take a lot of time,” Grenier said. “If you’re going to be a good board member, you need to invest the time to do it right.”
Even though Carlton’s departure reduces the board from 13 members to 12, it shouldn’t affect the way it operates, since any vote will still need a seven-member majority to pass, Grenier said.
The council will appoint a person to fill the empty board seat until a candidate can be elected in the general election in November.
On Thursday, Council Chairman Robert Sezak said the council had received at least four letters of interest from residents, and he hoped more would come in.
The council is scheduled to meet Wednesday and will consider candidates for the appointment, Sezak said.
“We’ll discuss it. Whether we come to a conclusion or not, I don’t know,” he said.
Peter McGuire — 861-9239
Twitter: PeteL_McGuire
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