People services plan emphasizes recruiting, retention and special‑education staffing, official says

Sarah Johnson presented the New London School District’s People Services plan on June 15, outlining steps the district will take to boost enrollment stability and strengthen support for students and staff.

Johnson told the board the plan centers on recruiting and retaining high‑quality staff through targeted outreach such as job fairs, expanded professional learning and a focus on cultivating internal candidates for open positions. "We created and have implemented a hiring plan for this coming school year and we are on track," Johnson said, adding the district is "knocking it off the ballpark" in hiring results.

She said the plan includes a system to determine optimal special‑education staffing levels based on student need and program requirements; that system is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. "Working on that in June. So it'll be completed by the end of June," Johnson said.

The presentation highlighted student‑engagement measures (universal screening and peer‑leadership programs), family engagement through an annual universal survey and a bilingual family liaison to support Spanish‑speaking families, and expansion of the district’s special‑education parent round table to improve parent networking.

Board members asked how the district is developing staff already on payroll into licensed roles. Johnson said the district is "growing our own," adding that paraprofessionals are being given targeted opportunities — including "lunch and learn" sessions and monthly meetings — to build skills and pursue further licensure. "We are adding time for our paraprofessionals to have meaningful connections with the staff that they work with," she said.

Johnson also described plans to create building‑level special‑education leaders to drive districtwide coordination and improve communication between buildings and the people services team.

The presentation closed with an emphasis on celebrating staff achievements and telling the district’s story to support enrollment growth and community partnerships. Board members offered several suggestions for implementing internal career pathways and staff development activities; Johnson said she will follow up with the director team on next steps.

The board did not take formal action on the plan at the meeting; presenters indicated specific components will be implemented in the coming months and some tools are expected to be finalized by the end of June.