Connecticut superintendent accused of DUI, loses job after contract violation 

Middletown Public Schools in Connecticut has terminated its superintendent, citing a contract violation after learning of his arrest for driving under the influence. 

“Vázquez Matos failed to maintain certification in violation of his contract and statutory requirements for employment as this city’s superintendent,” district school board member Christopher Cardella told the local NBC affiliate. “Therefore, by the terms of his contract, his employment has been terminated by his own actions.” 

Cardella also said he could not comment when asked “how the certification lapse went unnoticed” as the lapse occurred Sept. 16, according to the news article. 

Matos was in Brandon, Florida, over the summer and received two charges in July – one DUI, and the other for holding two state licenses (Connecticut and Florida) at the same time, according to the article. 

“As a parent of two students in the district, it was very unsettling,” Cardella said, “so I can imagine there are parents out there that also feel very similarly.” 

The city’s mayor, Gene Nocera, agreed with Cardella. 

“We obviously want our superintendents to be leaders, to be out there, very visible, available and understand the problems that our society is facing today,” he said, noting he has been working with the district’s board of education as it searches for its next superintendent. 

“Our focus has to be the kids in the classrooms and the schools and all that’s important.” 

The district enrolls more than 4,000 students “from preschool through adult education,” according to its website. 

Rising numbers of “superintendent attrition” nationwide 

As previously reported by The Lion, the nation’s turnover rate for superintendents has increased substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

That includes the number of superintendents who have been fired, which the Superintendent Lab at the University of Tennessee estimated at 5.4% in the 2023-24 academic year – more than four times the national workforce average of 1.1%. 

“In many cases – especially those involving legal disputes – the full details of a superintendent departure may remain undisclosed,” the Superintendent Lab noted in a report. “As such, our data and analyses likely underestimate the amount of superintendent attrition that takes place in a politicized context or contentious environment.” 

After an emergency meeting Nov. 18, the Middletown board approved a motion to let the board’s chairwoman discuss a possible interim superintendent position with a finalist. 

“Cardella would not disclose who that finalist is or whether it’s an internal candidate,” the NBC affiliate reported. “The board is expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the appointment of the interim superintendent.”