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Board approves two charter renewals, adopts certification changes and denies a teacher testing waiver
Summary
The State Board approved renewals for Explorations Charter School (three years) and Integrated Day Charter School (five years), adopted teacher certification regulatory updates and alternative pathways, and denied a testing waiver for an elementary math certification request.
At its April 1 meeting the Connecticut State Board of Education approved several formal actions: charter renewals for two schools, regulatory and certification changes, and a denial of a requested teacher testing waiver.
Charter renewals The board approved a three‑year renewal for Explorations Charter School (Winstead) with five conditions addressing chronic absenteeism, math outcomes, special education compliance and governance monitoring. CSD staff noted improvements in accountability index measures but flagged chronic absenteeism at 41.1% as a continuing concern. The board received testimony from the school's executive director and governing board chair before voting by voice vote in favor of the renewal.
The board also approved a five‑year renewal (maximum term) for Integrated Day Charter School (Norwich) from July 2026 through June 2031. CSD highlighted sustained academic performance, a large wait list and strong community support; the renewal includes four conditions focusing on closing achievement gaps, fiscal reporting and recruitment of multilingual learners.
Regulatory and certification actions The board adopted a technical amendment to Section 10‑145D‑615 of the Connecticut State Agencies regulations to remove obsolete language and clarified duration provisions for educator certification. It also approved proposed statutory/regulatory language to create additional alternative pathways to professional special educator certification (credit‑based options in addition to a master's degree and National Board recognition).
Certification waiver decision The board considered a waiver request from Terrence Collins for the required elementary mathematics content test. After staff reviewed his credentials and the candidate's test results (score below passing and limited recent math coursework), CSD recommended denying the waiver. Board members discussed alternate pathways staff outlined—coursework, alternate endorsements or middle‑school English endorsement pathways—and ultimately proceeded with the staff recommendation. Staff committed to work with Mr. Collins on alternative endorsement options.
Procedure and votes Most actions were moved, seconded and adopted by voice vote; transcript records indicate board members signified approval by saying "I." For charter renewals, the board attached conditions and required ongoing reporting and monitoring by CSD staff.
