Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staffing Attendance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent highlights improved teacher attendance and sharply reduced special-ed vacancies ahead of first day
Summary
Interim Superintendent Dr. Avery showcased teacher average-daily-attendance data and said the district reduced special-education teacher vacancies to two, while chronic student absenteeism remains a district concern.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Avery told the Bridgeport Board of Education meeting on Aug. 25 that teacher average daily attendance (ADA) in several buildings is at or above 94% and that the central office will provide more monthly data on teacher and student attendance.
Dr. Avery said the district served 19,143 students, with elementary enrollment at 13,464 and high school enrollment at 5,679. He reported magnet enrollment of 4,161 and summarized subgroup counts including approximately 3,008 special-education students and 5,047 English learners (MLL). He also said free and reduced-price lunch participation was 14,904 with 3,635 receiving reduced-price meals and 604 paying full price.
On staffing, Dr. Avery said the district reduced teacher vacancies from about 130 in past years to 41 as of the previous Friday, and that special-education vacancies had fallen from 39 last year to 2 as of that report. He credited university partnerships and targeted programs — including a summer certification pipeline mentioned by board members — and noted the district recruited retired teachers back for several positions.
Dr. Avery and principals spotlighted classroom attendance and leadership. Jackie Simmons, principal of Theodore Roosevelt School, told the board, “We asked our teachers today what they thought … they wanna be listened to, they wanna be respected, they wanna be valued, they want communication, they don't wanna guess, and they wanna know that you care about them as a person.” Angela Garfalo, principal of Skane, said mutual respect, an open-door policy and consistent leadership supported staff retention.
The superintendent said chronic student absenteeism remains a problem in some schools: Bridgeport Learning Center had a chronic-absence rate of 67.8% in the slides he presented; other campuses showed large year-over-year increases. Dr. Avery said the district is using targeted attendance interventions, an attendance task force funded by the state, and new software pilots to identify early-warning students, and that September will be promoted as attendance-awareness month.
Several board members asked for monthly historical attendance breakdowns to identify when spikes occurred; Dr. Avery said monthly reports are feasible and will be provided for board review.
No formal action was taken at the meeting on attendance or staffing; board members requested ongoing monthly reporting.
