Mr. Adam Swinney officially became interim superintendent September 15, 2025. As the new interim superintendent of EHPS, Mr. Swinney discusses his commitment to creating a positive community by ensuring students’ well-being and academic growth. He uses his previous experiences in multiple positions to inspire his current role and bring a unique perspective on education to EHPS.
Mr. Swinney believes “being a listening leader is really important. So trying to listen… to understand where others are coming from, I think a large part of that, too, is trying to lean into perspectives that might be different than my own. People who’ve had a different experience with education in general or with our school system.” Mr. Swinney believes in making sure every student will have their voice and perspective heard. He engages with students to create meaningful connections, and through these connections he can make sure every student has a voice.
To establish this community, Mr. Swinney discusses the goals he made for himself and EHPS. He set goals in a variety of areas: culture, climate, talent, operation towards academics, and students’ growth and performance. “I think a big piece of looking towards success is that we have been able to move those needles in areas for our students, especially younger years, to ensure they are getting the foundation they need, so that when they are in high school, every opportunity can be available,” said Mr. Swinney.
He creates goals to make sure that the students in this district are able to have a solid learning foundation, to be able to participate in every opportunity to expand their knowledge. An example of this is his determined will to stay connected with curriculum and instruction across all grade levels. He is currently working with a team of 20 to review a new English Language Arts (ELA) program for grades K-5. In this program he is working hard to give kids challenging learning experiences to create a solid foundation to grow them into confident readers & leaders at an early age.
Mr. Swinney was able to gain these ideas of growing the younger kids by using his experience as Principal of Momauguin Elementary School. He compares the elementary school and EHHS, by saying that at Momauguin it wasn’t just a school, it was a family. He was able to bring those community ideals to EHHS and other EHPS schools in his new position. “And see that at the micro level of one school community and how that is amplified across the entire district; is incredibly powerful, and I’m so grateful for that experience.”
Lastly, Mr. Swinney share his final advice for developing leaders in the community and the students of East Haven Public Schools:
Mr. Swinney is a very educated and talented individual who has done a lot for the EHPS community, but there is more to him than what meets the eye. He grew up in a small farm town in Indiana, and from an early age he knew he wanted to be an educator. As he was growing up, he worked with children’s programming at the local library when he was in high school. So, in college he knew he wanted to major in education. From there he became a high school English teacher in Chicago, then moved onto middle school for 7 years where he moved up into administration as dean of students. Mr. Swinney uses his background and his background towards educational leadership to adapt to a variety of roles, making him the best option for interim superintendent.
