Board renews multiple charters, approves certification waiver for special‑education teacher

At its June 3 meeting the State Board approved renewal recommendations and personnel/certification items brought forward by department staff.

Charter renewals: The board approved three‑year renewals for multiple charter operators following staff recommendations and public testimony from school principals and governing‑council representatives. Schools discussed and approved included Amistad Academy, Elm City College Preparatory, Achievement First Bridgeport Academy, and others. Department staff noted strengths such as graduation rates, college‑and‑career readiness measures and fiscal reserve improvements; renewal conditions were tied to governance and documentation improvements in some cases.

Certification waiver: The board granted an initial educator certificate waiver for Tasia (Tana/Tasia) Edwards of New Haven, a special‑education teacher who completed an M.A. and an educator preparation program but has not passed the foundations‑of‑reading test. Department staff reported Edwards’ score was 233 (seven points below the passing cut score) and within one standard error; New Haven Public Schools strongly supported the waiver and committed to induction and supervised professional development. The waiver was approved with conditions (completion of induction and required professional experience before advancement).

Votes on renewals and the waiver were taken during the meeting; minutes indicated voice votes with motions and approvals, but the transcript did not include recorded roll-call tallies for each vote in the public record excerpts.