Tracey Officially Appointed Superintendent

Iline Tracey will transition from interim superintendent to official superintendent in July, the New Haven Public Schools Board of Education announced on Monday evening.

The decision follows several years of changes in leadership. After Carol Birks’ turbulent departure in November, Tracey stepped up to temporarily fill the position. During that time, she has overseen the schools’ response to the Covid-19 public health crisis.

Tracey’s contract will run three years, through 2023. Her starting salary will be $250,000 a year.

“I’m very, very enthusiastic to support this motion. I’ve seen Dr. Tracey’s leadership albeit only for five months, but it’s been five tumultuous months,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.

The six board members and one student representative present all voted unanimously on Monday in favor Tracey’s new role. Board member Larry Conaway did not attend the meeting due to a death in his family.

The board has been holding closed sessions for several weeks on whether to hire Tracey or start a wider search. They gathered public input in early May through a special email address monitored by Board Chair Yesenia Rivera.

Rivera said that she received 915 emails, 92 percent of which were in favor of hiring Tracey. She said that 82 emailers supported a broader search.

“We have benefitted greatly from Dr. Tracey’s calm and courageous leadership,” Rivera said after the official vote on Monday.

Tracey has worked in New Haven schools for over 35 years as a teacher, principal and district administrator.

Tracey thanked the board for their confidence in her and set out a vision of NHPS as a school district where students thrive, teachers innovate and parents feel heard.

“We must never forget why we are working and who we are working for. We exist because of our students,” Tracey said.

Hear more about Tracey’s vision and experience in a recent appearance she made on WNHH FM’s ​“Dateline New Haven” program.

Following is a summary of Iline Tracey’s career provided by her office:

Dr. Iline P. Tracey hails from a subsistence farming community in the rustic village of Sweetland, Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies, and is one of seventeen children. She is no stranger to poverty and struggles, but did not allow these obstacles to deter her from rising above this through perseverance. She believes that education is really the great equalizer.
Dr. Tracey is a graduate of both Northern Caribbean (former West Indies College) and Sothern Connecticut State Universities. At Northern Caribbean University, she earned her first degree in Primary Teacher Education, became board certified and taught up to grade 9. In 1979, she migrated to Berrien Springs, Michigan, where she resided with her husband and two children on the campus of Andrews University. In 1980, the family relocated to New Haven, CT, where she attended Southern Connecticut State University and completed courses to satisfy the university’s requirement for a degree in Early Childhood Education, while working in the New Haven Day Care program.
With a passion for learning and to continue improving herself, she earned and holds the following additional degrees: Early Childhood Education, Master of Science in Reading, Sixth Year Advanced Degree as a Reading Consultant, Sixth Year Advanced Degree in Educational Leadership, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She has been committed to educating students in New Haven Public Schools for almost four decades, supporting families and students, and building leadership capacity. She is committed to continuous learning and leadership capacity building for herself and others, while collaborating with others to improve educational outcomes for all learners.
Dr. Tracey began her career in education as a teacher in Jamaica, West Indies, where she started teaching at age sixteen — and taught grades kindergarten and ninth grade. At a very young age she developed a program which she taught reading to young and older adults who struggled with learning. In the New Haven, Connecticut, she worked as a Day Care worker, and for 37 years she served the public schools as teacher, middle school reading teacher, middle school language arts and social studies teacher, house leader for grades 5 – 8, adult basic education teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of instruction, and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and assessment, along with being assistant superintendent for instructional leadership. She serves in the capacity of interim superintendent, and was recently promoted to the Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools.
Principal: As a principal, she implemented the Cornerstone National Literacy Program, Student Academic Review Process, merged two failing schools, and implemented the International Baccalaureate Programs for Primary and Middle Years. These actions resulted in successful transformation and turning around of failing schools taking them off the state’s failing list.
Director of Instruction: She provided leadership for principals Pre K through 12th grade, which included the two largest high schools, along with supporting the work of the curriculum supervisors. Under her leadership, schools and district demonstrated gains in standardized scores and graduation rates. She also served as the Portfolio lead, interviewed and recommended directors for instruction, engaged in weekly meetings with the superintendent for updates on schools and the work of the department, and prepared for and conducted bi- weekly meetings with curriculum directors. She facilitated the redesign of two high schools. She implemented the school network with cross divisional teams and supported the development of a new School Improvement Process.
While serving as Portfolio lead, Dr. Tracey was responsible for middle school policy development, and as a result, she and her team developed an aligned middle school and language arts curriculum with social studies. Under her leadership she launched the District-wide Curriculum Fair in which schools demonstrated for two
consecutive years evidence of students’ authentic learning via visual and performing arts with varied display of projects. In her portfolio, she also coordinated and managed the District’s Summer School Programs. In the absence of a deputy superintendent, and a chief of staff, she was a strong supporter for the interim superintendent — wrote and managed grants, evaluated and supported the work of the curriculum supervisors, and assisted in coordinating the work of the District. She is a trained school reviewer and have carried out several school reviews.
Assistant Superintendent: Dr. Tracey managed both roles as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and assistant superintendent of instructional leadership, in which she supported and evaluated curriculum supervisors and principals, including the management of a network of fifteen schools. She also implemented the School Review process with a focus on instructional rounds with a network of fifteen schools. In addition, she facilitated the first phase of the District’s Strategic Planning Process, wrote and managed several grants, and planned and managed the District’s Summer School Programs, and facilitated principal reviews.
Interim Superintendent: Dr. Tracey was recently unanimously appointed by the Board of Education as the Interim Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools. She is determined to elevate the excellence of all to make New Haven Public Schools a premier urban school district in the nation. In her role as interim superintendent, she has enhanced the morale of staff and students, developed the strategic plan, encouraged staff to facilitate online learning in the era of a health emergency that triggered school closures, ensured that students are fed, decreased the deficit, and with her CFO developed a budget process and a budget.
Related Work: Dr. Tracey also served in other capacities. She taught reading courses to both graduate and undergraduate students at Southern Connecticut State University in the capacity of Adjunct Professor. For thirty years she worked tirelessly every summer at the university with incoming freshmen, and with the Summer Equal Opportunity Program for graduated high schools students seeking a second chance at success, and served as teacher and Reading Coordinator and impacted the lives of hundreds of students.
Awards: Dr. Tracey is the recipient of several awards: Trail Blazer, Pioneer in Leadership, Community, Black and Hispanic Caucus, Alpha Beta Sorority, Title I, and varied community awards.
Hobbies/Interests: Dr. Tracey enjoys her family, and is proud of her marriage of 46 years, seven children and eight grandchildren. She is passionate and compassionate, and enjoys reading, research, and hiking. She believes that the dignity of the individual must be preserved.