From Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas:
The third “State of the Schools” Community Conversation will be held on Thursday, October 17th at Luis Muñoz Marín School. Superintendent Paul G. Vallas is holding weekly forums throughout the month of October to update parents and community members on the state of Bridgeport Public Schools, progress on key initiatives, and ask for input on future district priorities and goals. The Marín Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) will co-host this week’s event as part of the Parent and Children Education Expo, which will additionally feature a presentation by CT Against Violence on bullying prevention and information on local education resources and opportunities.
The first two “State of the Schools” presentations were each attended by over 40 community members. Superintendent Vallas discussed how to bring more resources to classrooms, how the city, schools, and community can work together to achieve more equitable funding for Bridgeport schools, and solicited input from parents on how to increase communication. Each “State of the Schools” presentation is followed by a brief question and answer period and an opportunity to meet with key district staff, including Chief Academic Officer Amy Marshall, Chief Turnaround Officer Mary Beth Stickley, Chief of Staff Lissette Colón, Safety, Security and Climate Special Assistant Shively Willingham, and Human Resources Executive Director Kathleen Jaeger.
Superintendent Vallas invites all Bridgeport parents and community members to join him this Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 5:30pm at. Luis Muñoz Marín School, located at 479 Helen Street in Bridgeport. Special thanks are extended to the Marín PAC for co-hosting the event.
Parents and others who will be unable to attend are encouraged to send their ideas or concerns to communications@bridgeportedu.net. Two additional Community Conversations will be held on Thursday, October 24th, and Wednesday, October 30th.
Can anyone remember any major positive events from the 2010-11 school year, academically, fiscally, etc.; anything? I am having trouble doing so. Would the Bridgeport Education Association please speak up? What concept was the Working Families Party working on at the time?
So the 2011-12 school year began with a State-appointed Board in power (meaning an elected Board had become history by its own vote) and this became an issue for the courts to decide. And the Charter change was turned down by voters. Though the school budget was not formed and voted upon officially, the community heard many teachers would be laid off, some schools would be closed, and we were running a $12-15 million deficit. These predictions did not take place.
Paul Vallas, a non-traditional educational leader with experience in district turn-arounds in larger cities, was invited to Bridgeport to lead in a transformation of the failing educational system. Coincidentally Bridgeport’s Mayor Finch, calling himself an “accountable” leader and dedicated to improved education results appointed a Charter Review group to study the Charter, and more specifically to provide him with power to appoint future school board members.
Today Hugh Bailey, members of the Working Families Party and the Bridgeport Education Association cannot publicly bring themselves to focus on 20 months of change that do not include their dire predictions. And they provide no fair-minded assessment of what has happened, in my opinion.
No schools have been closed. Two of the worst-performing schools (Curiale and Dunbar) have received special attention and funding under the State Alliance District programing for poorest performing districts. More money has come from the State IN ADDITION TO ECS formulas. Such funds could have entered Bridgeport earlier, the same as Hartford and New Haven, if educators, legislators and business leaders had been informed, curious or asking questions. That does not describe our recent history of folks in City Hall, of educational leaders in the past decade or most State representatives and Senators elected to do the work for our City. And it puts no halo on the editorial offerings of the CT Post either during that period where the Mayor could flat-fund education for several years and still earn an editorial endorsement.
Go to one of the Vallas Thursday sessions this month. Hear about: Quality instructional time must increase … too many absences on the part of teachers and students. Lots of ways to do that. Negotiate it in the teacher contract … don’t teachers want good outcomes? Vallas is looking to increase teacher compensation as they adjust to greater responsibility for students. Raise teacher pay. But put a spotlight on healthcare issues that currently cost the system over 25% of personnel costs before a foot goes into the classroom.
Benefits, claims and liability issues are business issues that can be studied so current dollars can be spent in the classroom. Teachers in the classroom deserve more professional support and that is part of his plan in raising the skills of those available to work directly with students.
Children from 0-3, a time of rapid development for young minds, can benefit from a ‘Cradle to Classroom’ approach and the 25% of four-year-olds who do not yet get early childhood education pre-kindergarten need to be included.
Finally, parents need to be heard as to their wishes, when they have listened to careful descriptions of alternative paths for their children. Schools chartered by the State (non-profits only in CT) might bring added dollars to Bridgeport in addition to ECS dollars, for instance, with parental support.
In summary, I heard Vallas talk about raises for educators, more resources for the classrooms, earlier educational opportunities for the youngest and a break for taxpayers by using State formulas (in addition to Education Cost Sharing) that are available to districts like Bridgeport.
What part of the Vallas five-year plan don’t you like? If 75% of Bridgeport teachers reside out of town, then they may not be sensitive to our tax issues, but tax issues are real for voters here. And if certain BOE candidates are dedicated to eliminating Paul Vallas as Superintendent, doesn’t the public deserve to hear that before the election? Assuming he does not survive the CT Supreme Court decision, what is their plan of replacement? What has been set in motion that is a “keeper?” What is to be rejected? What will fit in place of the Vallas plan? Do voters have a right to ask before we elect people? I’m looking for answers and dialogue. I happen to favor the open, accountable and transparent operation fiscally that is on the public schools site.
If you want to know more, listen to Vallas on Thursday. I am pretty sure he will be repeating the comments I heard last week. Time will tell.