nothin Peggy Moore Enlisted To Helm Barnard | New Haven Independent

Peggy Moore Enlisted To Helm Barnard

Melissa Bailey File Photo

Peggy Moore.

A schools superintendent has once again asked Peggy Moore to take the helm of a school in transition.

Last time, that didn’t work out so well.

Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks confirmed that she has asked Moore, who retired in 2013, to serve as interim principal of Pre-K‑8 Barnard Environmental Studies Inter-District Magnet School on Derby Avenue.

A letter went out to parents Wednesday with the news.

The school has been seeing principals and other staffers come and go. Principal Rosalyn Bannon surprised the community by announcing that she’s resigning as of Feb. 25 to take a job as a Wethersfield principal. Bannon was the school’s third principal in three years, an administrative churn that’s lasted since 2016, when teachers took a no-confidence vote against Yolanda Jones-Generette.

Meanwhile, Birks recently placed Barnard’s assistant principal and three other employees on administrative leave, while an internal investigation into their conduct is underway.

Peggy Moore, who retired from the city with mixed reviews, will be tasked with stabilizing Barnard until a permanent replacement can be recruited.

In 2010, because of her success running Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, then-Superintendent Reggie Mayo prevailed on Moore to step into the top job at Wilbur Cross High School, which had been vacant for eight months. Moore resisted the request, then reluctantly agreed.

Her years at Wilbur Cross proved controversial. She drew public outcry for disbanding a student political action club after junior Isaiah Lee led a protest in favor of more textbooks and lower administrative salaries. She later nullified the results of a student government election when Lee won the presidency, prompting an outpouring of concern from parents and alumni.

In a confrontation at a public meeting, she dismissed the criticism of her leadership as gossip.” Superintendent Mayo stuck with Moore, defending her in an opinion piece published in the Independent. The school district touted dramatic gains on tests in her first year, then saw those gains disappear the subsequent year.

Moore, who worked for the school district for over 30 years, also served as the president of the administrators union.

Moore is set to begin her new role at Barnard on Thursday, according to Birks, when she will meet with Bannon about transitioning into the role.

Retired teachers are allowed to return to work and continue receiving pension benefits for a maximum of two years, as long as they fill out paperwork certifying that they are will be filling a vacancy in a priority district or a shortage area. Moore, who retired at 68 years old, currently receives about $7,200 each month in retirement benefits.

In her letter Wednesday to Barnard parents, Birks described Moore as an experienced and visionary leader.”

Ms. Moore has a strong passion for learning and teaching. She is focused on the delivery of instructional practices that encourage and provide students with a meaningful, relevant and purposeful curriculum that prepares them for college, career and life beyond high school,” Birks wrote. Ms. Moore believes in building relationships in order to promote a positive, respectful and safe environment. She also has a commitment to distributive leadership and building on the talents of others within her school community.

We are confident,” Birks concluded, that Ms. Moore will bring strength to the Barnard School Community as we go through this leadership transition.”

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