Board adopts national leadership standards for administrator evaluations; federal IDEA funding unaffected this year

The Danbury Board of Education received two brief administrative updates: the professional standards the district will use to evaluate leaders, and a federal special-education funding update.

The district's Professional Development and Evaluation Committee (PDEC/PDAC) voted to adopt the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership (national standards) in place of the CTT rubric for administrator evaluations. Allison, the associate superintendent, said the national standards align with leadership roles across the district and with student-learning goals; the administrative union supported the change and members of PDAC voted to move the recommendation forward. The board indicated it will implement the committee's recommendation.

Separately, Kelly provided a federal funding update in response to recent news about the U.S. Department of Education. She said the state department of education notified districts there will be no impact to IDEA (federal special-education grant) funding for this fiscal year, and that Title funding also is expected to come to the district. Kelly said the district has not yet received projections beyond the current school year and will share further information as it becomes available.

Both items were presented as informational updates; the PDAC recommendation will be implemented through committee and administrative processes rather than by immediate board action.