On Feb. 10, Dr. Sal Pascarella announced in a letter to the Danbury Board of Education that he will be retiring as superintendent by the end of the school year. 

Pascarella has served as superintendent for the past 15 years and as an educator for 50 years. During this time, he has overseen numerous projects that have benefited the Danbury Public Schools System. At the high school level, he has detracked DHS to allow for more students to take AP courses while also ensuring that the largest high school in the state runs effectively. At the middle school level, he helped create Westside Middle School Academy to tackle the problem of overcrowding at Rogers Park Middle School and Broadview Middle School. At the elementary school level, he helped create a focus on how young students learn, which has led to two National Blue Ribbon Schools and a growing list of Danbury elementary schools on the Connecticut List of Distinction. 

At the district level, Pascarella has ensured that all schools work to mold their students into the “Portrait of a Graduate,” reworking the mission statement so that Danbury Schools are working to create productive and successful members of society. He also worked to create a Minority Teacher Pipeline to allow for the diverse student body to see themselves represented in their educators and has reached out to grants and sponsors to allow for every student and teacher in the district to have access to a laptop. 

Even though he is retiring in a time that he calls “a radical shift in learning,” Pascarella is still leaving a legacy behind. He has commenced a “fast-moving path” towards a Career Academy that hopes to relieve stress off the DHS student body and open up new educational opportunities for adolescents. He has instilled a “deep personal commitment…to the development of so many of our best and brightest staff members” and students. 

The superintendent noted in his letter that he is impressed by the resiliency the district has shown not only during the pandemic but also throughout his career. He claims to have experienced a level of support most urban superintendents can “only dream of,” and says that despite dealing with challenging budgets in the midst of a growing population, he is proud of the district that has stepped up to the challenge and preserved a renowned educational initiative.

Pascarella concludes that he is “honored to have had the opportunity to lead this district” and will cherish his time with the “rich community” that he loves.