Reed School principal reports staff hires, attendance improvements and seeks music-room naming for former superintendent

Jonathan E. Reed School Principal Eric Brown presented a principal’s report to the Waterbury Board of Education on Jan. 7 that outlined enrollment, attendance changes, staffing additions and curricular programs; a board member also brought forward a proposal to name the school’s music room after a former superintendent.

Brown said Reed School currently enrolls 469 students and provided a racial-ethnic breakdown: 312 students identifying as Hispanic, about 102 Black or African American students, 20 white students, three Asian students and 19 students of two or more races. Brown said the school has reduced average absences per student from about eight to about five since the start of the school year, crediting parent contact, a truancy team and nudge letters.

Brown described culture-and-climate efforts including a winter-door-decorating theme, new after-school athletics and partnership with BOOST for programming and mental-health resources. He said Reed has hired a full-time physical-education teacher, a music teacher, an art teacher and a consumer-science teacher, and expects the special-education department to be fully staffed by Jan. 16. Brown said an additional ELA teacher for grades 7–8 was planned to be hired by Jan. 23; he named staff members (Mr. Osai Bonsu in science, Mr. Keane in social studies) and thanked community partners and central office staff.

During the agenda, Commissioner Serrano O’Donnell moved to add a professional services agreement with Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) as agenda item 7a; the board seconded the motion and voted to carry it. Separately, Commissioner Brown (principal Brown spoke in support) moved that the board, by committee of the whole request, name the music room at Jonathan E. Reed School in honor of former superintendent Dr. Verna D. Ruffin. Principal Brown described Dr. Ruffin’s leadership and said she prioritized arts resources during her tenure. Board policy requires a 60-calendar-day public input period before adopting naming decisions; the board set a vote date of March 20, 2025.

Board members asked about transportation modes: Principal Brown said Reed is a walking school; special-needs students receive bus transportation but most students walk to and from school. Brown said walking is a traditional strength of the school’s community.

Student government officers and other students performed and spoke briefly at the start of the meeting; Brown said he would drive students home after the performance because of the cold weather. Brown also introduced a new parent liaison, Miss Pink, and said the school is refurbishing a storage room into a gross-motor space to support essential-skills classes.

The naming proposal was presented for the required public-review period and will return to the board for a vote on March 20; the transcript records the motion to initiate the public comment period but does not record a final naming vote within the provided excerpts.

Principal Brown concluded by thanking staff, district leaders and the mayor for visiting students and supporting school programs.