Paul Bass Photo
School board member-elect Edward Joyner with Shirley Joyner at Mayor Harp’s victory party Tuesday night.
The votes were barely counted Tuesday night in New Haven’s first school-board elections when the first signs of trouble appeared for Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries.
The two Democrats who won seats on the board — Edward Joyner and Darnell Goldson — said they would vote not to extend Harries’ contract. If they get the chance.
Which they might not.
Harries’ contract doesn’t end for another year and a half. But the Board of Education is scheduled to vote by year’s end on whether to extend the contract an extra year.
Joyner and Goldson don’t take their seats until Jan. 1. (The current Board of Education’s members are all mayoral appointees. Two seats became elected seats this year as a result of a charter-revision referendum two years ago.) They join a board that has become more vocal in criticizing decisions by the Harries administration.
In interviews with the Independent Tuesday night after their election, both Joyner and Goldson said that, if a vote were held today, they would vote not to extend Harries’ contract.
Both cited the turmoil at Hillhouse High School — read about that here, here and here—as an example of why.
“This is not personal,” Joyner said. “Based on what’s going on at Hillhouse, based on some of the decisions around personnel, based on so many teacher vacancies, we are not meeting the needs of students and parents.”
Goldson (pictured) spoke of meeting an 18-year-old Hillhouse senior while at the polls Tuesday. She said she’s studying to become a nurse. Because Hillhouse lacks enough science classes, she doesn’t have any left to take this year, she told Goldson. She’s been questioned about that in interviews at prospective colleges. Meanwhile, he said, she told him about teacher vacancies that still haven’t been filled in this year of transition at the school.
“When a class doesn’t have an instructor for months, how do they make that up?” Goldson asked. “With the information I have today, I would not be inclined to vote for a contract extension.” He added, though, the board itself must share “the blame” for systemic problems in the school system.
Goldson called on the board’s new president Mayor Toni Harp to delay the vote on Harries’ extension until after the new board is seated on Jan. 1.
“Toni wasn’t happy when they rushed the [hiring of Harries] before she became mayor,” Goldson said. “I don’t understand what the rush is.”
Citing frustration with low test scores, Mayor Harp last month assumed the presidency of the school board. She has called on Harries and his administration to show more “urgency” in dealing with problems at Hillhouse as well as raising reading levels among elementary school students. Click here and here to read about a 10-point plan she has given the Harries administration to carry out; and here to read about (and hear) her comments about Hillhouse.
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Harries (pictured) congratulated the two board members-elect and said he looks forward to working with them.
“The Board of Ed hired me to strengthen the New Haven public school system, to make change and improve results for students,” Harries told the Independent Wednesday. “I welcome and expect to be judged on the results we’v gotten in those efforts and on the plans we have to continue to strengthen. Both the results are strong and the plans are strong.
“Certainly there are issues for us to continue to work on, continue to improve. But when we look at graduation rates, college-going rates, attendance, school climate, fiscal sitaution, enrolllment patterns, I and we have strengthened across the school district.”
About Hillhouse, Harries noted that graduation rates have risen from a low of 41 percent to 71.6 percent, along with improved attendance and passing rates.
He said he hopes to build on that progress. “I get it that there are challegnes in the transition,” he said. “But ultimately the lode star we need to keep our eye on is whether we’re producing a better education for students who go to Hillhouse. I believe that to be the case, and I see evidence that that is the case.”
As I said before, I was called by the Joyner campaign, and when I got to the hard question about Harries, the solicitor told me to hold on, while she found another crib sheet.
That crib sheet was Joyner himself, and after a lengthy conversation with him, I fully understood that an ouster was in the works...
Add one part Goldson, and the 2016 BOE is going to be something to watch.....