Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Superintendent Search topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bridgeport board says vision work continues while waiting for state ok on superintendent search
Summary
Board members reported on community forums and a developing district vision but said a formal strategic plan and a permanent superintendent search will likely wait for state approval under ongoing state intervention.
Board Chair called for continuing the community-driven vision process at the Bridgeport Board of Education meeting Monday, Aug. 25, while members said a full strategic-plan process and a permanent superintendent search will likely wait for explicit direction from the state.
The board chair said the board ran four community forums over the summer and posted a thought-exchange survey from Aug. 1–15, “and the last I checked … [we had] over 250 responses,” and said the board has completed mandatory state trainings. The chair added that the board submitted an evaluation of Interim Superintendent Dr. Avery and that the state had not requested further meetings about it.
The matter matters because the district is under state intervention and several board members said that limits the board’s ability to launch a search or finalize a multi-year strategic plan without the state’s sign-off. A board member who asked to prioritize near-term parent forums said a forum during the first weeks of school would let the board and administrators identify first-week operational problems and give administrators time to fix them before the issues escalate.
Board members said the board will continue work on a district vision that arose from the forums and suggested that the formal strategic-plan document — which sets district goals, monitoring schedules and measurable targets — is usually developed with a permanent superintendent. The chair said she had asked the state whether the board could begin a superintendent search with state technical assistance and was awaiting a response to that email sent about two weeks earlier.
Board members discussed timing and resources for a strategic-plan effort: one member recommended waiting until the permanent superintendent is on board so that the incoming leader and board can co-develop measurable goals, while others said work on a vision can and should continue now and then be refined later into a formal strategic plan.
No formal vote was taken. The board directed staff to continue community engagement on the district vision and to report back on the state’s reply about whether the board may begin a superintendent search with state support.
