NHS Renovation a Reason to Stay On Board, Says School Chief

Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson said one of the reasons he wants to is the upcoming $81 million renovation plan for Naugatuck High School.

“I am extremely interested in the school building project,” Tindall-Gibson said. “(Building projects) are something I’ve been involved in for a long time, have a knowledge about and am very interested in. I’m terribly excited about the possibilities for renovating NHS. We can do some very exciting things.”

Naugatuck residents in favor of the $81 million plan to renovate the high school and bring it up to code. Tindall-Gibson, along with multiple other school and borough officials, spoke publicly about the problems that the school deals with on a regular basis — including minor structural issues, antiquated technology and infrastructure concerns.

But Tindall-Gibson also brings to the table a technical knowledge and experience related to school renovations. He noted that he lead the building of a new 1,000-student middle school when he was a superintendent in Lincoln, R.I., a $39 million high school in Litchfield and other projects in Arizona.

Both Mayor Robert Mezzo and Board of Education Chairman David Heller recognized Tindall-Gibson’s skills in statements posted on the mayor’s blog.

“Dr. Tindall-Gibson has been a strong supporter of the NHS renovate-as-new project and he has worked tirelessly to advance the project to referendum,” Mezzo said.

According to Heller’s statement, Tindall-Gibson’s role as the elected head of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents also plays a role in the project’s financial process.

“John Tindall-Gibson regularly meets with key state officials, which puts him in a unique position to assist with fiscal reimbursement issues,” Heller said. “At this point in time, he has the experience and resources to help the Board of Education plan and create a state-of-the-art high school.”

The Board of Education will decide at its 7 p.m. meeting on Thursday , keeping him as the school chief until the summer of 2013. The board will also vote on whether to extend Business Manager Wayne McAllister’s contract an additional year.