Bridgeport’s new school superintendent, Royce Avery, makes it a habit of handing out his business card to every speaker at a listening session recently held at the city’s public library’s North Branch.
Many parents are worried about safety, curriculum standards and staffing levels, all of which are going to be impacted if the district can’t balance its budget, which he said is his main focus.
“That $38 million deficit is a huge undertaking and so we're looking forward to trying to figure out a game plan to lessen that deficit,” Avery said.
But he also has to get parents to trust the school district again. Avery said he wants community input.
“I'm not here to place blame, but my job is to try to provide solutions to fix that,” Avery said. “My job is to solicit this community to help with that.”
Avery’s predecessor, Carmela Levy-David, abruptly quit in November. Her departure came after a rocky tenure lasting barely over a year. Avery is focusing on the deficit, but he’s also undertaking listening sessions across the city, as parents complained about staff shortages and other issues.
Some parents and teachers are cautiously optimistic about Avery, noticing his different approach with parents.
Meanwhile, the local school board has voted to eliminate 45 staff jobs, according to previous reporting from Hearst Connecticut Media.
Despite these challenges, teachers such as Michele King-Vasquez, who also spoke at the event, say they’re at least feeling more comfortable speaking out publicly.
“It's still a testing ground,” King-Vasquez said. “He's done a lot. He's opened up the conversation a little better. So I'm just feeling him out to see where this is going. I'm hoping that something happens and something comes out of it, and I want to be a part of it.”
King-Vasquez, who teaches sixth grade at Thomas Hooker School, said she was one of the teachers who filled out the survey expressing a lack of confidence in Levy-David’s leadership earlier this year.
Avery was formerly appointed as the superintendent in December after being named acting superintendent in November. He says he’s going to work and advocate for more funds from state lawmakers.
“'I’m looking forward to helping to expand that, and be able to get out there and have a voice at Hartford to say, hey, our kids need more,” he said.
Parents like Maritza Jimenez said local schools face staffing issues, impacting their children’s learning. She has two children attending Interdistrict Discovery Magnet School, which she said, hasn’t had consistent coverage for an art teaching position in a year.
Jimenez said the staff shortages are increasing this semester.
“Whenever teachers are out, kids are having to be split up between classrooms, which has become much more frequent,” Jimenez said.
Avery’s predecessor also undertook listening sessions. Many parents said they’ve heard similar promises from others that the schools would be improved, only to be left feeling disappointed as superintendents have quit.
King-Vasquez said she wants to help, but is committed to her students, no matter who is heading the schools.
“I go about my job the same every day, whether with her or him,” King-Vasquez said.
"I have 23 children in front of me that I'm responsible for, and I'm going to make sure they get the academics, the social, emotional and the mental learning that they need. I will do that every day.”
