Schools

Custodial Union Prez: Stop With The Private Contractors

by | Sep 18, 2024 9:28 am | Comments (9)

Maya McFadden Photo

Tom DeLucia (right) with fellow Local 287 employees: "The situation was never good, but the last two years have been truly deplorable."

Local custodian union President Tom DeLucia is calling on the Board of Education to rid New Haven of private companies for building and facilities maintenance in order to improve repairs at decaying schools across the district.

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Hill High School(s) Redefine Fame

by | Sep 16, 2024 9:28 am | Comments (0)

2022 Hall of Famer Shirley Neighbors (right) pins 2024 inductee Charles Williams for a half century of service to New Haven's public schools.

A public schools superintendent, a Pulitzer Prize-winning financial journalist, and a high school leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots all now have at least one thing in common: They’re all newly minted inductees to Lee-Career High’s Hall of Fame.

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Termination Letter Cites Cybersecurity Failures

by | Sep 13, 2024 1:10 pm | Comments (15)

Thomas Breen / Maya McFadden file photos

NHPS Supt. Negrón (right) to fired I.T. boss (left): "You took no steps whatsoever to ensure BOE was protected from cyberattacks."

(Updated) The Board of Education’s I.T. network was among the worst” a cybersecurity contractor had ever seen — and New Haven Public Schools’ (NHPS) top tech safety official misrepresented the work she had done to protect the district from future cyberattacks following a $6 million hack.

Those sharp rebukes are included in a three-page termination letter sent by NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón to Gildemar Herrera. The letter offers the first publicly available insight into why the district fired its I.T. director, who also serves as a municipal union president.

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Manufacturing Lab Cut From Cross

by | Sep 6, 2024 11:53 am | Comments (8)

Laura Glesby File Photo

NHPS sixth graders at work, building a robot at Floyd Little Athletic Center. This work won't be done at Wilbur Cross.

The city’s public school district has scrapped plans to build a new manufacturing pathway lab at Wilbur Cross High School over concerns around contractor timeline and building space, and will be partnering instead with a Fair Haven manufacturing training nonprofit.

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Lee-Career Hall Of Fame Inductees Include Athletes, Educators

by | Sep 5, 2024 9:19 am | Comments (0)

Fifteen alumni — including athletes, educators, and even a Pulitzer Prize-winner — are set to be inducted into the Lee-Career Hall of Fame later this month, after hundreds of community members cast their votes for the most accomplished alums of the former and current Hill public high schools. 

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Cross Library Closed For Mold Clean-Up

by | Sep 4, 2024 5:33 pm | Comments (29)

Maya McFadden file photo

Vent trouble at Cross, the day before the start of school.

Wilbur Cross’s library will be closed for at least a week as the city’s public school district gets rid of air-borne mold spores — as part of its response to unkempt building conditions at the city’s largest high school at the start of the school year. 

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School District Fires Union Prez

by and | Sep 3, 2024 5:18 pm | Comments (23)

Thomas Breen Photo

Gildemar Herrera: I was "wrongfully dismissed."

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) has fired Local 3144 President Gildemar Herrera after a months-long investigation into a $6 million cybersecurity theft concluded that she failed in the performance of her duties” as the city school district’s information technology director.

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Schools Secure Period Products, Need Dispensers

by | Aug 30, 2024 4:03 pm | Comments (24)

Courtney Luciana file photo

Pads on display at a Dwight period product giveaway.

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) intends to comply with a new state law that requires public school districts to provide students with free menstrual products in bathrooms — and is still looking to secure funding to make that mandate a long-term reality.

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From Ethiopia To Edgewood Avenue

by | Aug 29, 2024 2:37 pm | Comments (5)

Maya McFadden Photo

Eighth grader Yabsira, third grader Amanbuen, and dad Yemiamrew Teferi, on the first day of school.

Yemiamrew Teferi and his two sons Yabsira and Amanbuen showed up to Augusta Lewis Troup School on Thursday for their first first day of classes with New Haven Public Schools (NHPS), after moving from Ethiopia to the Elm City two months ago. 

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Back In School, Back In Uniforms

by | Aug 29, 2024 2:14 pm | Comments (6)

Maya McFadden Photos

Knox and Kenzl Ellis: Used to uniforms in New York preschool, ready for uniforms in New Haven kindergarten.

Eighth graders Nike, Kaylee, and Aaliyah with Principal Eugene Foreman (back right) and Troup Culture and Climate Specialist Da'Jhon Jett. As Kaylee said, "Nobody is going to want to be disrespectful with Mr. Jett. He's everyone's fave."

Troup kindergarteners Knox and Kenzl Ellis showed up to the first day of classes Thursday wearing matching green polo shirts and khaki pants — in line with the return of uniforms to the Edgewood Avenue public school.

After a pandemic hiatus, Troup’s administration has brought back its uniform requirement with the goal of encouraging higher levels of attendance by reducing the number of clothing decisions, and purchases, students and their families have to make.

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Classroom Prep Spotlights Building Decay

by | Aug 29, 2024 9:26 am | Comments (38)

Water-damaged tiles in Kim Anderson's English classroom.

Special education staffers Melissa Pellino and Lauren Pollio: "This is what we do for the kids."

Wilbur Cross teachers rushed to prepare their classrooms for Thursday’s first day of school by hanging up posters of Angela Davis, signs reading be brave,” and world maps — and by cleaning mold from walls, covering broken floor tiles with rugs, and mopping the floors of classrooms and bathrooms alike.

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Teachers Prepped For More Multilingual Students

by | Aug 28, 2024 2:07 pm | Comments (2)

Maya McFadden Photo

Evelyn Robles-Rivas: "ESL services are a tier 1 support."

Don’t underestimate your students — especially those who are working to learn English as a second or third language while also trying to keep up in the classroom.

The district’s new director of multilingual learner programs, Evelyn Robles-Rivas, shared that message to new teachers in the runup to the first day of classes. 

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Vacancies Down, A Little, At School Year's Start

by | Aug 27, 2024 4:16 pm | Comments (15)

Maya McFadden file photo

NHPS Supt. Negrón: Focus is on filling math, science, special ed vacancies.

Good news: New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) has 22 fewer vacancies than it did this time last year.

Not so good news: The public school district still has nearly 200 staff positions left to fill, with the start of classes just around the corner.

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NHPS Convocation Kicks Off School Year

by | Aug 27, 2024 3:00 pm | Comments (7)

Contributed Photo

Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School dancers.

This Citizen Contribution was submitted by New Haven Public Schools Director of Communications and Marketing Justin Harmon.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Justin Elicker joined Supt. Dr. Madeline Negrón in a convocation celebrating the contributions New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) staff will make in the coming school year. The event was held Tuesday, Aug. 27 at the Lyman Center, Southern Connecticut State University. 

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Newhallville Tour Bridges Teacher-Student Gap

by | Aug 26, 2024 4:59 pm | Comments (2)

Maya McFadden Photo

New educators learn about Newhallville's learning corridor from Doreen Abubakar and Kim Harris.

While bussing around Newhallville, newly-hired Hillhouse, Nathan Hale, and Riverside psychologist Debbie Hull took note of hair braiding shops, faith centers, delis, green spaces, and transitional housing resources to share with her students this coming school year. 

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ARPA Update: Vo-Tech School Still In The Works

by | Aug 26, 2024 11:14 am | Comments (6)

Maya McFadden File Photo

Students at MATCH, a new manufacturing training program that received a city ARPA grant.

A future vocational training hub for New Haven Public Schools students could offer tracks in building, manufacturing, technology, health, and transportation — per the city’s latest plan for millions of dollars of one-time federal aid that were allocated for various trade education initiatives two years ago. 

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New Teacher Tour Brings Grad Full Circle

by | Aug 23, 2024 3:30 pm | Comments (3)

Thomas Breen photo

Shaylah McQueen-Lee: "Never give up on kids."

Step by step on Grand Avenue Friday morning, Shaylah McQueen-Lee walked towards her near future as a K‑2 teacher at Benjamin Jepson School — marking her return to the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district after graduating from Hillhouse more than a decade ago as both valedictorian and a teen mom.

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Pashto Course Coming To NHPS

by | Aug 23, 2024 1:14 pm | Comments (5)

Maya McFadden file photo

NHPS Supervisor of Foreign Languages Jessica Haxhi with teacher handbook she created for last school year.

New Haven’s two comprehensive high schools will introduce a Pashto Native Heritage Speaker” course this school year for its increasing population of students who need to improve their writing and reading skills in a language native to Afghanistan and Pakistan before they move on to learning English.

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