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Schools

It's Back to Business: BOE Welcomes New Teachers

New teachers, test scores and an ongoing concern surfaced at the BOE meeting.

Two of the three new teachers to the Branford school district received long-stemmed roses last night, as the officially appointed the threesome to full-time teaching positions.  Necie Getz, who will teach mathematics at the , and Jenny DeNicola, who will teach art at , were present last night to receive their official welcome from the BOE. 

Richard Thomas, who will also teach mathematics at the high school, was unable to attend.  

Both Getz and DeNicola are graduates of Southern Connecticut State University – Getz with a degree in mathematics and DeNicola with a B.F.A.  There, each also received her teaching certification.  Of securing her first teaching position in a dismal job market where new teachers, especially, have every reason to bite their nails, Getz said, “It feels nice. I feel good.”  DeNicola had previously taught at the Ross Woodward School in New Haven.

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said before the meeting that all three were chosen to fill vacancies that arose within the district because of attrition.  An initial BOE budget had cut 16.1 full-time teaching positions before discovered that Branford’s physical education program fell short of the recommendations for PE time by the state.  That emerged as one of reasons that , much to the relief of parents and educators alike.  

At the meeting, the Superintendent pronounced himself pleased but never complacent with the results the district sees in reading, math and writing within Branford school populations whose scores on the were followed from grades three to eight. “The longer students stay with us, the more their achievement goes up,” he said as he reviewed the high percentage of students who were at or above their grade level goals.  The BOE will hear a more detailed review of the CMT results in the district at its meeting in October.

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Before the meeting, union representatives Raymond F. Pompano and Colleen Ezzo addressed their public comments  to continuing concerns over the release of four paraprofessionals, allegedly for budgetary reasons, only to see the school district advertise nine paraprofessional vacancies Aug. 1.  Although still operating without a contract, the nascent school paraprofessionals union is seeking their re-instatement. “We don’t want to go to the labor relations board,” said Pompano.  “We just want to do what is fair.”

Hernandez strongly encouraged the four paraprofessionals, who had worked at the , to apply for the now-vacant paraprofessional positions, while Frank Carrano, the BOE chair, noted that the board could not have a discussion in a public forum over a contractual matter.

It will soon as usual with Branford schools opening Sept. 1. 

Please check back with Branford Patch for more infor regarding the paraprofessional positions.

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