New Bedford Superintendent of Schools Thomas Anderson denied rumors within his district that he is a candidate for the same position in West Hartford, Connecticut.

WBSM received a tip on Wednesday, February 22 that suggested Anderson was going to be announced as a finalist for the superintendent position in West Hartford, a little over a week after he was a finalist for the position in Newton but ultimately was not chosen.

The tipster said it is "common knowledge" within New Bedford Public Schools and that it was confirmed to them by someone who "works in New Bedford and has a contact in West Hartford."

Anderson is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut.

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A West Hartford Board of Education meeting on February 22 featured an update on the superintendent search by Cooperative Educational Services, the firm hired by West Hartford Public Schools in its superintendent search. The update, provided by CES’s David Erwin, did not mention any candidates by name.

Erwin confirmed to WBSM in an email Thursday that there were 15 candidates for the position, from seven different states, but declined to give any specific names.

WBSM spoke with CES Executive Director Chip Dumais on Thursday afternoon, and he also declined to acknowledge if Anderson was one of the 15 candidates.

“They are in the midst of interviews, and have not had finalist interviews yet,” Dumais said, noting CES and the Board of Education were “really close to announcing” those finalists.

Dumais said the expectation is that a candidate would have to be hired by April 1 in order to start July 1, since Connecticut generally works with a 90-day notice to switch jobs, he said.

Dumais did reiterate that there were multiple candidates from states outside of Connecticut.

Anderson replied to an email inquiry from WBSM early Friday morning in which he was asked if he was one of the 15 candidates for the West Hartford job.

“Thanks for checking, that is not accurate,” he wrote.

It is worth noting that Anderson did not return an email request for comment when he was announced as a finalist in Newton.

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