Birks Gets Warm Welcome

On her second day in the job, Carol Birks received a ​“superintendent survival kit” with thank-you cards as a symbol for gratitude, rubber bands for flexibility, coloring pencils for creativity, an aromatherapy candle for serenity, and a bag of jewels for the precious heart of her work — the kids.

Birks received those gifts, along with plenty of words of encouragement, at a Tuesday evening welcome reception at New Haven Museum packed with school administrators, city officials and community figures.

After a contentious, year-long search process to pick Garth Harries’s replacement as New Haven’s schools superintendent, the all-out celebration this week sent a message that people are willing to put aside any hard feelings and give Birks a chance in the new job.

Of course, it won’t be easy managing 22,500 kids across 50 schools, speakers reminded her, especially not with New Haven’s notoriously passionate citizenry.

“All of us in this room appreciate the responsibilities you’ve assumed. New Haven has one of the largest public school districts of the state, a remarkably diverse and accomplished student body and an abundant supply of outspoken students, parents and teachers,” Mayor Toni Harp said. ​“Likewise, all of us in this room are confident in you and your abilities.”

“Welcome to New Haven, Dr. Birks!” she added, to a round of applause.

For about an hour, Birks shook hands with New Haveners. Reverends, principals, lawyers and contractors snaked in a line upstairs around a spread of cheeses and crudite. Downstairs, in the atrium, a string quartet plucked off notes. Below hanging chandeliers, the room echoed with chatter. Then a few educators started a round of clapping to signal for quiet.

In a series of speeches and performances, Birks heard from top union officials, took in a dance performance to Andra Day’s ​“Rise Up” by Co-Op high schoolers, and reminisced over a slideshow. Cheryl Brown, the principal at Ross-Woodward and head of the administrators union, presented Birks with the gift bag.

Speakers shared the achievements that had been made under Reggie Mayo, who’d served as interim superintendent for the last two years, and rooted on Birks to continue the progress.

“Enrollment, attendance, graduation rates and college acceptance rates are all higher. Suspensions and expulsions are dramatically lower. There’s no question: This city is passionate about education,” Harp said. ​“We know you are a great match, you are passionate about education and have a remarkable pedigree. We know you’ll continue the progress already underway to benefit the students of New Haven, their families, our faculty and staff. We know you are the right fit.”

Others predicted that there might be some run-ins with Birks, but they said they’d treat each other with respect, whatever the dispute.

“Collaboration is not the absence of conflict. There are going to be times when we disagree, no question, but it’s how we manage that conflict,” said David Cicarella, the teachers union president. ​“We’re going to have times where we’ll have hard decisions to make on behalf of our students, but we have to have the integrity to put students first and our issues and concerns secondary to our students.”

Cicarella added that he’d worked well with Mayo. Based on Birk’s ​“fresh energy, vision and reputation as a hard worker,” he said, believes he can do the same with her. ​“We’re thrilled that you’re here,” he said.

Tyisha Walkers-Meyers, the president of the Board of Alders, said she’d met with Birks and been impressed with her ​“really good ideas.”

“Anybody that knows me knows that I am not an easy person, but [Birks] passed the first test,” she said. ​“We have to put all our differences aside to make sure that we are the best, and seeing everyone here shows me that everyone has decided to do that. It won’t always be pretty, but it will be worth it for the kids.”