Redistricting Committee Information

 
Advisory Committee
Regarding School Attendance Zones and Enrollment
As The School District Completes Its Transition to a K-8 Organizational Model
 
At the request of Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Reginald Mayo a presentation was made to the Board of Education in January, 2012 regarding the near completion of the district’s effort to transition schools to a Kindergarten-to-Grade Eight (K-8) school organization model. The K-8 initiative has in all but one case eliminated the district’s former organizational model that included both elementary and middle schools. During the same time period as the K-8 transition there were three other major program efforts that indirectly, but significantly impacted the enrollment of students in New Haven schools. The development and expansion of Interdistrict Magnet Schools, Charter Schools and the opportunity for New Haven students to attend suburban schools in the Open Choice Program all gave parents more options in considering what school would best meet their children’s academic needs. Another variable that has affected where New Haven children go to school has been the merger and closing of a number of schools. These consolidations and closures have had the effect of lowering the total number of “neighborhood” schools and causing the geographic size of the remaining attendance zones to become much larger.
 
The mayor and the superintendent recommended that a broadly representative committee be formed to study the cumulative effect of all these changes. More importantly the committee was charged to identify a series of recommendations that would increase the opportunity for parents to enroll their children in the schools they most wanted, whether that’s a neighborhood, magnet or charter school. The committee would have an “advisory” role, with its recommendations submitted to the Board of Education by September 2012 for the Board’s consideration. Only the Board of Education would have the authority to approve any changes to the school district’s current policies and practices. If changes are approved by the Board the goal is for them to go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year, which is the year after the coming school year.
 
In April of this year the advisory committee was convened and began its work. The committee’s Mission Statement, Committee Members, and Timeline are provided below. Once a particular meeting on the list has occurred it will become “clickable” and all the documents distributed at that meeting will be available on this site as PDF documents.
 
Important – Public Participation!
 
Please note that ALL of the committee meetings are open to the public. Two of the meetings have been scheduled by the committee as Public Hearings to encourage parents and other members of the New Haven community to share their questions, concerns and ideas. Both hearings will take place at 6:00 PM in the Board Room on the 2nd floor of the New Haven Public School central offices at 54 Meadow Street, just off of Union Avenue near the Union Train Station. They are scheduled as follows:
 
1.     Tuesday, May 22  -  
     The public is invited to comment on issues related to the current availability of K-8 schools.
 
2.     Wednesday, June 20  -  
     The public is invited to comment on the DRAFT Recommendations of the committee.
 
 
Mission Statement:
 
The purpose of this committee is to identify school attendance zone
and enrollment issues that have emerged as a result of the district’s
transition to a predominantly K-8 school organization model. The
committee will submit a report with recommendations for action to
the Board of Education by September, 2012.
 
 
Committee Members:
 
Ed Linehan – Chairperson - Retired District Administrator
Liliana Badillo - Parent
Michele Bonanno - Teacher
Francisco Chavarria - Teacher
Will Clark - District Administration
Sequella Coleman - Principal
Shenare Crimley - Parent
Alfreda Edwards - NH Board of Aldermen
Jonathan Hill - Teacher
Mildred Melendez - Parent
Michael Nast - NH Board of Education
Leida Pacini - District Administration
Anna Rosales - Parent
Angela Russell - NH Board of Aldermen
Susan R. Samuels - NH Board of Education
 
 
Committee Timeline*:   (Revised 5/15/2012)
 
 
Phase One – Identifying Issues
April 11 - Initial Meeting / Identifying Issue
May 2 - Review of Data / Identifying Issues
 May 15 - Review of Data / Identifying Issues
 May 22 - Public Hearing / Identifying Issues
 

Phase Two – Developing Recommendations
May 31 - Discussion of Potential Recommendations
June 5 - Discussion of Potential Recommendations
June 13 - Discussion of Draft Recommendations
June 20 - Public Hearing on Draft Recommendations
June 25 - Approval of Recommendations
 
Phase Three - Preparation & Submission of Written Report
Summer - Report of Committee’s Efforts Drafted
Sept. 5 - Report Presented to the Committee for Discussion
Sept. 12 - Final Report Approved for Submission to the Board of Ed.
Date TBD - Presentation of Report & Recommendations to Board of Ed.
 
 

To Contact the committee please email: nhpsschoolsandenrollment@gmail.com