Thirty-eight families so far have chosen to move their students out of a West Rock magnet school and to another city public school that has more teachers on staff.
That’s the latest with teacher vacancies and student transfers at Brennan-Rogers Magnet School on Wilmot Road.
In late November, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) administrators recommended that parents of 7th and 8th grade students at Brennan-Rogers move their students to other city public schools because there were four vacancies among five core teaching positions for the two grades. Those vacancies have yet to be filled.
In response to an update request from the Independent, NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon said on Thursday that, in the intervening month and a half, 38 families have decided to move their students to different schools within the district that aren’t as understaffed in its core subjects.
Fourteen students, meanwhile, have decided to remain at Brennan Rogers. Harmon previously confirmed for the Independent that students who decide to stay at the school will remain in good academic standing and will not be at risk of losing necessary credits to graduate just because of the teacher vacancies. (Click here to read more about the district’s transfer recommendation and reactions from local education leaders.)
The transfers began after Thanksgiving break and were overseen by the district’s Office of School Choice and Enrollment. That office identified schools across the district that have more teachers on staff and that have classroom seats available for new students to fill.
NHPS then gave parents the option to transfer their students to either a neighborhood school or a magnet school. “In one or two cases, parents wished to send their student to a school that had a teacher vacancy. In all cases, we accommodated their wishes,” Harmon told the Independent.
Those 38 ex-Brennan-Rogers students who have transferred so far are now studying at King Robinson, Troup, Fair Haven Middle School, Edgewood, East Rock School, Barnard Environmental School, Ross Woodward, Conte West Hills, Martinez, Mauro Sheridan, and Clemente School.
“We are working hard to create options for all the students enrolled in grades seven and eight at Brennan Rogers that meet the academic needs of the students and align with family preferences,” Harmon added.
“Any time students transfer, they must make adjustments to a new community with new teachers and students. Our staff welcome new students every year, and overall they do a good job easing the transition to school.”
Paul Bass Photo
West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith.
Reached for comment via phone Thursday, West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith said she hasn’t heard any feedback so far from families in the neighborhood who may be concerned about the student transfer process or the Brennan-Rogers teacher shortage.
“I am happy that they had a choice,” Smith said about Brennan-Rogers families.
She said she was made aware of her neighborhood school’s teacher shortage as soon as NHPS first started discussing the idea of recommending transfers. “They did a good decision because these kids deserve a fair education,” she said.
She said she is saddened by the school’s high volume of vacancies and that because of it the current teachers are “stressed and pulling two shifts.” She also thanked Brennan-Rogers’s current teachers for their work and dedication to the school.
“I’m going to continue to watch that for the coming school year of 2023 – 2024 that the school is filled up with the amount of support they need from teachers and paraprofessionals to security.”