For many reasons, Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez feels Branford Public Schools is “destined to have a great school year.”

“I’m incredibly excited. This year, probably of all the years I’ve been in Branford, we’re really well poised to do some wonderful things,” said Hernandez, who is now in his 10th year as the town’s schools chief.

The district will head into 2019-’20 with big plans including efforts to bring about increased elementary science opportunities through Project Lead the Way, changes to the World Language Program, and an anticipated early 2020 transition to the new Walsh Intermediate School (WIS) academic building.

Students at John B. Sliney Elementary School will be greeted on Tuesday, Sept. 3 by their new principal, Dr. Maria Clark, who was appointed by the Board of Education (BOE) in May.

In addition, beginning this week, BPS launched its new website, located at the same online address www.branford.k12.ct.us  and also has notified parents of a new app to allow for more streamlined, accessible district and school-specific information. BPS also plans to bring in one-directional Twitter messaging for parents to follow as another form of social media engagement, said Hernandez.

In addition to capital improvements to the district including recent upgrades to the high school track and field and tennis courts, this summer’s capital projects included a full renovation of the boys locker room at Branford High School (BHS) and replacing/upgrading door locks at every school building.

The work was implemented at school buildings, which have been very busy this summer, Hernandez said. Added uses included various programming offered at the high school and free summer lunches, which end Friday, Aug. 23, offered at BHS and two elementary school buildings. Hernandez thanked the BPS custodial staff for preparing all of the district’s school buildings for Sept. 3.

“When our staff and students return to school, for many of them it’s like getting a new school, because of the pride that they take in the work that they do. It’s outstanding,” he said.

Among academic planning that will be underway in the district this year, at BHS, new state/federal curricular high school credit requirements are on the horizon, and the school administration and staff will be working to meet the challenge, said Hernandez.

WIS in 2019-’20

Bus and parent drop offs will not change this year at WIS, which should make for a smooth start for students arriving on Sept. 3. While all grade 5 to 8 educational spaces will start the school year in the same areas in which students were taught last year, by January 2020, the plan is to switch over to the newly constructed academic side of the building.

Hernandez said the district and WIS administration anticipate the fall will be a “busy, busy time,” but everyone is hoping for a seamless transition. To make that happen, the WIS school calendar will require some modifications in the coming months. In the very near future, the BOE will be receiving some options from the administration around modifying the WIS calendar, said Hernandez.

“We would want to solidify that by the end of October,” said Hernandez. “What we’re thinking about is a series of half-days, so that the physical move from one space to the other can take place over a course of a period of time.”

Once the BOE approves the modified calendar, parents will be informed as soon as possible. Communication to families will come from the district and the WIS administration.

The half-days are expected to fall into December to help teachers migrate over to their new classrooms, following the arrival/installation of furnishings and equipment that’s anticipated to go into place beginning this fall. Hernandez also said the expectation is that students will be given tours and introductions to the new building spaces before they leave for Christmas break, to help orient them to the changes that will come in January.

Project Lead the Way

New this year at the elementary level, Project Lead the Way will offer project-based science instruction aligned with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) learning in the district. There will be four science teachers dedicated to the program at the elementary level.

“It’s being taught by teachers solely that will be teaching science,” said Hernandez. “Kids will receive direct science instruction, evenly, across the three elementary schools. We are carving out time to ensure that students receive the science instruction.”

Hernandez said the benefit is that students at a young age get exposed to science concepts.

“Their curiosity is encouraged; their exploration and collaboration is encouraged. Everything that we talk about in the global learning competencies is captured in this program,” said Hernandez.

At WIS, students in grade 5 will be educated via Project Lead the Way as a transition/connection to the STEAM learning in place for grades 6 to 8. A second STEAM teacher is being added at WIS this year.

World Language Program

Following an attempt to bring a world language (Spanish) to elementary grades for the past three years, the district will, for now, remove that and instead focus on grades 5 to 12 with its World Language Program, beginning this year.

“I think it was wonderful, it was innovative, but what we learned is that we really can’t have a program with one teacher to service three elementary schools. That’s why we put in the budget the four science teachers at the elementary level,” said Hernandez.

The program could return to the elementary schools in the future, but it will first need to be reviewed and revised to be more effective, he said.

An interest in language was being expressed by younger students to their teachers at WIS, which is why the World Language Program is now starting with 5th grade.

Diversity in Schools

The district’s enrollment of approximately 2,800 students includes a slight increase in the elementary school population. Meanwhile, over the past 10 years, its profile has grown from having 18 percent “high needs” students—defined as special education, free and reduced lunch-qualified, or students identified as English language learners—to 40 percent. Many of those needs are now being met with programs offered through the district, including school-based health care with Yale New Haven Hospital, rather than outside resources. The district is also seeing a “certain transiency” of students entering and leaving the district for reasons ranging from housing needs to parents moving for work, said Hernandez.

“Even with students that may be coming and going, that adds a level of richness to our student population,” said Hernandez. “It’s also a challenge, but our classroom teachers deal very adroitly with that. They make kids feel welcome from day one.”

Less than one percent of school-aged children in the district attend private schools, he said.

Maintaining Security and Trust

The school district’s security practices and layers continue to be a priority. Hernandez said another important aspect to the school community and its culture is the district’s ongoing effort to create a “trusting environment.”

“We need to create trusting environments,” he said. “We need to ensure that each child is connected to an adult in a way that’s not academic, but more of support in that relationship. And we also need to reassure parents that, when they send their children to school, safety is paramount for us.”

A Good Place to Be

Hernandez noted these and still other improvements, such as continued advances with instructional coaching in classrooms, are being delivered district-wide, with test score performance across the district coming in above the state average, while the district remains “fiscally responsible” to the town with a school budget that continues to operate with less than a two percent annual increase. He said one reason the district is able to keep costs down is through good faith collective bargaining agreements with the various unions, including approximately 300 teachers, serving the public school community.

“On balance, I think Branford is a good place to be. I think teachers feel that way, I think parents feel that way, and I think students feel that way,” said Hernandez.