Rick Seager, superintendent candidate, emphasizes enrollment strategy, communications and equity

Rick Seager, a candidate and current superintendent in Waterbury Public Schools, told the Forest Hills Board of Education during a March 5 special meeting that reversing declining enrollment, sharpening a common district vision and embracing innovation are his top priorities.

Seager said districts must address enrollment losses that undercut program capacity and budgets — noting that Forest Hills has moved “from 10,000 to 9,000 kids in about 12 years.” He recommended a shared central vision and programmatic attention (facilities and specialty offerings) to attract and retain students rather than assuming demographic decline alone explains the trend.

On communications, Seager described a three‑P model — push (proactive announcements), pull (inviting participation) and profile (gathering experience and feedback) — and urged culturally proficient outreach, translation and a cadre of ‘key communicators’ in each building to rebuild trust and ensure timely, clear information.

Seager outlined a prior district change that he credited with improving outcomes: pairing standards‑based teaching and learning with an “unbalanced trimester” schedule that created time for exploratory work, credit recovery and postsecondary enrollment. He said that approach drove large increases in postsecondary course completion and helped reverse falling graduation rates in his previous districts.

On budgets, Seager recommended zero‑based budgeting tied to strategic priorities; on staffing, he described pay incentives tied to national board certification and apprenticeship‑style programs (Talent Together) that recruit paraprofessionals and support staff into teaching careers.

Seager closed by emphasizing collaborative leadership, strategic planning experience and a systems approach to organizational improvement, and thanked the board for the opportunity to discuss his record and proposals.