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Derby schools report year-end progress on strategic plan; pre-K enrollment, professional development cited as gains
Summary
At its June 9 meeting the Derby Board of Education received year-end reports on the district strategic plan. Board and staff said the district met multiple annual goals, including growth in pre-K enrollment and higher professional-development satisfaction scores; committees flagged remaining work for summer and fall.
Derby Board of Education members heard year-end updates June 9 on the district strategic plan and were told several annual goals were met, while other items will continue into the summer and next school year.
Superintendent Heather Bohati opened the report and said committee chairs would describe progress on each strategy. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Putnam Jackson and other strategy chairs presented results showing measurable gains in professional development, early childhood access and a range of school-level priorities.
The district reported that pre-K enrollment rose from 37.5 students in the 2023–24 head count to 76 in 2024–25 after the addition of kinder‑pre‑K classrooms. Dr. Putnam Jackson said the district also brought certain early‑childhood special‑education indicators into compliance with state criteria, allowing eligibility for some grants.
Committee leaders pointed to increases in teacher evaluations of professional development. Bohati summarized survey comparisons: items rated “valuable” or “relevant” rose roughly 9–11 percentage points year over year; one question about PD providing “specific information about my work” increased from 55.3% to 81% in the top two response categories.
Strategy chairs described work across culture and climate (bullying training and consistent discipline reporting), special services (IEP and 504 implementation goals and a parent survey planned for November), mental health (a year‑end goal shifted to a fall 2026 report while the committee secures a single at‑risk screener), and facilities/capacity (building visits and a master plan scheduled for September 2026). Operations noted the capacity/boundary study will feed the long‑range master plan.
Board members and committee chairs flagged ongoing items for follow up: a deeper root‑cause analysis on chronic absenteeism, more work on documented accommodations for students with IEPs and 504 plans, and coordinated roll‑outs for new programs such as RISE. Bohati and chairs said committees will reconvene over the summer where needed and bring specific action recommendations to the board in coming months.
Board members thanked volunteers, staff and community partners for participating on the committees and noted the plan will continue to guide budget and staffing decisions for 2025–26.
