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Superintendent: state technical‑assistance team will oversee district; board members press to start superintendent search
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Avery told the Bridgeport Board of Education that a state technical‑assistance team will begin oversight and community outreach next week and presented a six‑month engagement plan. Several board members urged the board to move quickly on a permanent superintendent search after 75 days without a full search process.
Dr. Avery, the Bridgeport School District superintendent, told the board on Feb. 25 that the Connecticut technical‑assistance team will begin on‑site work next week to review district practices and support the district’s recovery plan.
"The state's going to be, you know, an oversight of the things that are happening within the district," Dr. Avery said, describing the visiting team's initial meeting scheduled for next week and a superintendent plan of engagement the district will use for the next six months.
The superintendent outlined five focal areas: fiscal review and return‑on‑investment for district spending, teacher‑administrator collaboration, special education (including bilingual services), transparency and community engagement, and academic achievement and student growth. Dr. Avery said the team will help the district map priorities and that the district will publish a letter to families summarizing next steps.
During board discussion, Mr. Sikalovic pressed for a faster, formal start to a permanent superintendent search. "It's been 75 days since doctor Levy David has resigned, and we have not really started the search in force," he said, calling it unfair to the interim superintendent and to the community.
Other board members asked for monthly, data‑driven reports on attendance, multilingual learners, reading and math performance and special education metrics. Mr. Woodson said he would make decisions "from listening to the experts and from listening to the data," stressing that emotions about specific schools should not drive final votes.
The chair reported a schedule of required board training and self‑evaluation dates the board will use in the coming months; the chair listed training meetings on March 31, April 7, April 21, May 19 and June 16 and said a board self‑evaluation will be completed in late March.
Board members and the superintendent agreed to coordinate the facilities master‑plan rollout with board committee meetings and community forums. Dr. Avery emphasized that the board retains ultimate authority over facilities decisions after community input and committee review.
Ending
Board members repeatedly emphasized the district’s fiscal constraints and urged transparency in how additional state or city dollars would be used. Several members asked district staff to deliver clearer monthly academic and fiscal metrics to the board as the state technical‑assistance process begins.
