Maya McFadden Photos
Rolanda Booker with Supt. Madeline Negrón.
A former New Haven teacher who became a principal in New Britain is returning to the city to help the public school district fill vacancies and keep its educators.
At last Monday’s Board of Education meeting, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Supt. Madeline Negrón presented her recommendation that Rolanda Booker become the district’s new lead for recruiting and retaining school staff. The school board unanimously approved her appointment.
Booker began her teaching career in NHPS in 1996, and worked in the district until 2018. She served as a classroom teacher, TAG teacher, and math coach over the years. She later moved on to become an assistant principal and then a principal in New Britain, where she’s worked since 2020.
While in New Britain, Booker helped to improve Northend Elementary School from a Tier 5“turnaround” or“focus” classification to a Tier 3.
Booker will step into her new role in New Haven on Jan. 2 at a starting salary of $146,368. Her appointment comes several months after the September resignation of the district’s most recent recruitment and retention coordinator, Sarah Diggs.
Negrón described Booker to the school board on Monday as passionate about mentorship and teacher development. She added that throughout Booker’s career in New Britain, she has partnered with the district’s teacher residency program to mentor six educators as they worked to get certified. Booker also previously led an initiative to create school-based advisory clubs to address social, emotional and engagement needs for students.
“She is committed to equity and excellence, empowering educators and students to achieve their fullest potential,” Negrón concluded.
In Booker’s brief remarks Monday, she expressed excitement for her return to New Haven. She said that her goal in the new role is to establish mentorship support for new teachers and new opportunities for veteran educators.
She said that, as a principal in New Britain, her school’s teacher residency program was significant for making sure educators felt supported. She hopes to build partnerships in and out of state to bring talented educators to the city. She also plans to spend a lot of time identifying gifted teachers already in New Haven who can be “pushed up.”
“I’m excited to start this work in New Haven on something I’m passionate about and that’s close to my heart,” she concluded.