Dear New Rochelle School Community:
Two weeks ago, I presented a report to our Board of Education on my first 100 days as your superintendent. As you know, the past few months have been incredibly hectic. However, I'm very proud of the work we have done, as well as the partnerships we continue to nurture with our community.
Every step we have taken has been powered by one priority: providing a high-quality and supportive education for our students. The reopening of our schools was completed amid immense challenges. These included frequently evolving COVID-19 safety protocols, repairing schools after flooding from Hurricane Ida, and supporting our students, faculty, and staff after a long pandemic-induced period of disconnection, trauma, learning loss, and uncertainty.
When I joined our school district in July, I outlined five goals. Our actions, fueled in part by community input, have resulted in substantive progress. A summary:
Goal 1: Increase student achievement, close achievement gaps, raise graduation rates, and improve the health and wellness of children, families, and staff.
Actions: We are surveying families and students on social/emotional learning and wellness, and focusing on unfinished learning induced by the pandemic’s disruptions. A new home is being established for our high school’s Huguenot Academy. We have consolidated general education and special education in one department, and an afterschool program at New Rochelle High School is being established.
Goal 2: Ensure effective school district governance through positive Board of Education - Superintendent relations.
Actions: Communications have been strengthened, are more frequent and more comprehensive – all to ensure a collaborative environment that prioritizes moving our school district forward.
Goal 3: Improve public trust and confidence through authentic engagement and communication.
Actions: Town Hall meetings have been launched to give our community additional direct opportunities for conversations. Our in-depth weekly Newsletter has been supplemented with frequent communications about flood-damage recovery efforts, busing/transportation updates, letters to our students, automated informational calls to our families, and a newly revamped district website at nred.org. On COVID-19 issues, we established vaccination clinics and an advisory group of community members.
Goal 4: Increase organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy.
Actions: Monthly school-based leadership meetings were started to improve communication and collaboration. Numerous personnel vacancies were filled, including two principals, two assistant superintendents, security positions, social workers, counselors, psychologists, reading teachers, English as a New Language coaches, and instructional technology leaders. In addition, we restructured Student Support Services to focus and provide leadership on family and community engagement, wellness, and afterschool and summer programs.
Goal 5: Establish a supportive, positive school district climate and culture.
Action: Visiting schools and meeting staff continue to be a priority. In addition, an agreement with collective-bargaining units was finalized regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, as was an agreement regarding virtual learning.
Despite all we have done, I know that some families remain impatient about our school district’s progress.
As a parent and educator, I fully understand the urgency for our work. Advocating for innovation, excellence, and improvement, to ensure we provide all of our students with an engaging, relevant, rigorous, and supportive education and learning experiences, is our goal. Our students deserve the very best, every single day. As your Superintendent, it is essential that I prioritize and position our efforts and resources where they are most needed.
In the coming weeks, we will be launching efforts to develop a new strategic direction for our school district. There will be multiple opportunities for the community to be engaged and participate in this process. This input will be critical as, together, we create a new North Star for our school community with explicit strategies and tactics, and goals and metrics.
Please know the entire City School District of New Rochelle educational team is committed to supporting the whole child. This includes educational excellence, social/emotional well-being, and instilling career- and life-ready skills. A culture of inspiration and accomplishment is best attained when we prioritize and advance these goals together.
Thank you, as always, for your investment in our students’ futures.
Sincerely,
