Board Update : May 30, 2025

Testing & Accountability 

Norwalk has completed the state required annual Smarter Balanced assessments for ELA and math, grades 3-8 and Next Generation Science, grades 5,8, and 11. These assessments evaluate overall academic achievement at the end of the year. The CSDE will release its results in August. They will be publicly available on Edsight, Connecticut’s official source for education data. Families will receive Individual Student Reports in mid-September. State testing results are used to measure achievement and growth, indicators of academic progress. Results are part of Next Generation Accountability reporting.  

School Quality Review (SQR)  

Norwalk Public Schools is in the fourth year of a process called a School Quality Review (SQR), that produces additional data points for focused school improvement. There will be 12 schools receiving a School Quality Review for 2024-25. 11 schools have undergone the School Quality Review: West Rocks Middle School, Concord Magnet School, Center for Global Studies, Kendall College and Career Magnet, Marvin Elementary School, Cranbury Elementary School, Rowayton Elementary School, Fox Run Elementary School, Ponus Ridge STEAM Middle School, Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School, and South Norwalk Elementary School. Several reports are in the quality assurance process and drafts. The final school receiving an SQR will be Tracey Elementary Magnet School on Wednesday and Thursday, May 28-29, 2025.  

Research & Analytics  

The Portrait of a Graduate Spring Feedback Cycle is underway. Staff and family surveys will close next Friday, June 6th, with over 250 responses received to date. Six focus groups comprised of administrators, coaches, and educators have been completed. We will be conducting student focus groups across elementary, middle, and high schools this week. Additionally, we are partnering with instructional coaches to gather critical thinking resources used to support critical thinking learning opportunities across the district. These resources will support the development of a districtwide Portrait of a Graduate Resource Bank.  

Work is also underway to wrap up this year’s School Improvement Planning cycle and begin planning for next year. Schools are reviewing whether they met this year’s goals, using updated data sets and outcome calculations. This reflection—combined with analysis of various year-end data sources—feeds into a Needs Assessment that helps each school determine its priorities for next year’s School Improvement Plan. 

The public data dashboards were officially launched, allowing members of the public to see important information about the district and to monitor attendance, suspension, and enrollment trends updated nightly.  

Leadership Development Cohort Celebration

On May 20, the Leadership Development Department hosted a culminating celebration honoring the accomplishments of the 2024–25 Leadership Development Cohort. During the event, aspiring leaders showcased their personal Leadership “Why” statements and presented their action research projects to an esteemed audience that included members of the NPS Board of Education, the superintendent and cabinet, central office staff, and school principals. The evening highlighted the cohort’s growth, reflective practice, and commitment to driving meaningful change in education.

Food Services 

We are wrapping up the month of May and it is all happening so quickly. 

Our Smoothie Bike Tour has reached the finish line. We’ve wrapped up our whirlwind ride for the year, and our final stop was the fabulous West Rocks Middle School! Did you snag your golden ticket? 

This week, our Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program schools are serving up a duo of summertime classics: juicy watermelon and crunchy corn on the cob; hoping they summon some sunny vibes, too!  

Looking ahead to next week, our lucky students will be treated to tangy pineapple and bright cherry tomatoes — a perfect pair to keep those summer flavors rolling! 

Facilities 

Enjoy this video produced by our students in the Digital Media Communications Academy (DMCA). The video is titled "On the Job." 

On the Job  

School Safety 

On May 29 and May 30, we performed final testing of Mutualink on-site in all of Norwalk Public School Buildings. Mutualink is another layer of security for emergency services, police, and school officials to interact in real time on one universal platform during an emergency. More about Mutualink below or visit their site at Mutualink 

Mutualink is the world leader in critical response collaboration, and the only communications solution provider delivering on-demand unified radio, voice, video, and data collaboration, automating emergency communications and accelerating response.  

• Bridge school radios, phones, and mobile devices with emergency dispatch and responders. 

• Allow police and security radios to communicate with each other, including features such as push to talk. 

• Integrate any hardware-based or software-based panic alarm button or alerting device/tool. 

• Provide critical panic alert details, such as location of the emergency and key facility data. 

• View live camera streams from the floor plan 

With the push of a button, a Mutualink incident is created which allows first responders to start communicating with school radio, access to live video on floor plan, telephone and collaboration with all responding agencies. 

Transportation 

On Saturday, May 18, Durham School Services and ECS Transportation partnered with shuttle families for our 2025 First Book Event at Brien McMahon High School.  Over 300 families took advantage of the service shuttling between Rowayton, Roton and Brookside Schools where offsite parking was available.  Families also had an opportunity to shuttle in from various areas in the community.  We look forward to serving our families again next year!   

With the end of the year fast approaching families are reminded of 2-hour early dismissals on the last two days of school June 12 and June 13.  Please adjust your schedules for student pickup at bus stops.  

Bus Routes for Summer Academy and Carver Transitional Programs will be posted on our website the week of June 23.  Students receiving transportation for Extended School Year will receive notifications by mail.   

Health Services 

As health offices come to a close, it is imperative that parents/guardians pick up their student’s medications. No medications can be stored over the summer. Please contact your school nurse as soon as possible to arrange for medication pickup. All medications left at school will be destroyed. 

Please be reminded that the state of Connecticut requires that all current 6th and 9th grade students submit a current physical and list of updated immunizations, performed on July 1, 2024 or after. These must be on the state of Connecticut Health Assessment Record forms found here.  

In addition to the physical, all 6th grade students must receive the TDAP and Meningococcal vaccines. All students must be compliant with this requirement to return to school in August 2025. Please provide these documents to the school nurse as soon as possible in order to avoid disruption to your child's school year- do not wait! Thank you to those who have already provided this documentation. Please contact your school nurse with any questions. Forms being sent over the summer may be sent to SHS@norwalkps.org. 

The Norwalk Community Health Center has been awarded funding through the CT2 Youth-Centered Initiative to support the Empowered Minds program. This initiative will provide two Brien McMahon High School students with a paid internship ($5,000 each) to complete a 7-week training alongside our School-Based Health & Wellness Behavioral Health Manager. The focus will be on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and coping strategies. 

Applications will open in mid-June 2025, pending final contract execution. A selection committee will oversee the application and interview process. Upon completion of training, the interns will co-facilitate peer-led lunch groups focused on anxiety and coping skills, with the goal of holding sessions quarterly. 

Grants 

The Grants Team is excited to announce an increase in funding through our Summer Mental Health grant. This additional support will allow us to expand access to school counselors and social workers for students participating in our Summer Academy. As we continue to prioritize mental health and wellness, this grant ensures our students have the resources they need to thrive academically and emotionally during the summer months. Additionally, we have submitted a new grant application to the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. If awarded, this $100,000 grant will fund extracurricular arts programming across all 21 Norwalk Public Schools for the 2025–2026 school year. The proposal focuses on equity in arts access, with a particular emphasis on music, theatre, and visual arts enrichment opportunities before and after school. Lastly, our team is working diligently to liquidate all current grant accounts in alignment with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) expenditure deadline of June 10. We are collaborating closely with school leaders and finance staff to ensure all remaining funds are used strategically and compliantly. 

Humanities

The Humanities department has been working on trade book selection and ordering to support the K-5 social studies work that will need continued support next year. At the latest SS Council meeting, it was confirmed that Norwalk is way ahead of schedule in terms of social studies roll out and adaptation. This is something to celebrate!  

The 6-12 curriculum resource has been selected after a pilot of multiple products in classrooms across the district. There will be a plan for implementation in the coming weeks.  Many thanks to all of the teachers and literacy coaches that helped to support this work.  

Literacy visits are wrapping up this week. Glad to report that Fundations implementation is going well but there will need some additional support for the upcoming school year.  

Preparation for summer PD is in full swing.  

School Counseling/Workforce Development

In May, NPS celebrated the Class of 2025 by hosting some of our scholars at the Board of Education Meeting. We focused upon their post secondary planning which is made possible by our NPS families, our scholars perseverance and educator village who work with our scholars to help them realize their post secondary dreams! It is interesting to see our scholars journey from Junior Year into and beyond Senior Year, relative to their post secondary plan journey as seen through the lens of the Junior Survey:

Mathematics/STEM

The STEM department has been involved in a myriad end of the year support activities for schools. End of the year training for Open SciEd implementation has been happening at Roton Middle School with teachers receiving training about the program structure and diving into the first unit.  Additionally, we have been preparing curricula updates for next year including gathering feedback from teachers and school staff about draft pacing updates.  Grade 3 has been shared for feedback with all current grade 3 teachers, coaches, and administrators.  We hope to be able to share grade 5 before the end of this week for the same feedback rounds.  We have also been preparing for additional updates and revisions and are readying to gather teacher interest for summer work.

We were excited to support John Foldeak and Diana Walker as they won CSTA awards last week.  John was presented with the Babu George STEM award, and Diana (Jefferson Marine Science) was presented with K-5 Science Teacher of the Year and CT Finalist for PAEMST.  

Multilingual Learners

The Multilingual Learner department is gearing up for summer!  We are excited to continue the MLL Accelerated Summer program for our Multilingual Learner students in high school.  This summer opportunity allows students to earn up to 2 credits towards graduation requirements.

Additionally, the Multilingual Learner department is coordinating several professional learning opportunities for our Multilingual Learner and Dual Language teachers this summer.  We are providing additional training on resources to support students in dual language programs and our newcomer MLL students.  These trainings will provide instructional support for teachers to implement resources that support students’ oral and literacy growth in both English and Spanish.

SRBI

We have been closing out the year. Improvement teachers are looking at the goals set at the beginning of the year. We have been analyzing Dibels8 and SBA preliminary scores. Currently NWEA is being completed for grade K-2. Teachers are making sure that CT-Seds MTSS plans are finalized for the end of the year. Progress monitoring is being finished to close out the year.  Students who scored well below benchmark for the state priority measure in K-3 reading are being invited to Summer Academy.

Specialized Learning 

The Specialized Learning Department held its final Parent Advisory meeting of the year on May 29, at 6 p.m. in Room 330 at City Hall.  

We have been busy planning for Extended School Year (ESY) which will be held from June 30 to July 31 at various school sites.  We have been working on student registration and staffing.  

Lastly, we will be holding our final Specialized Learning Board Subcommittee meeting on June 17 at 5:30 p.m.  


 

Enterprise Software/Data

The Enterprise Software/Data team is actively pursuing several key initiatives. They are currently collaborating with Naviance Tier 3 support to optimize the data import process into PowerSchool. The primary goal of this effort is to enhance the accuracy of crucial information, including counselor accounts, homeroom assignments, and other related data fields.

To improve efficiency, the team is also evaluating new automated workflows for forms used at both the department and district levels. The aim is to streamline the submission process and reduce manual processing.

Looking ahead, a pilot program for student-level device management within PowerSchool is being developed. This trial is currently being tested in a separate environment and will be launched once the team is confident in its stability.

Finally, preparations for the end of the school year and the upcoming summer school session are underway. This includes initiating the necessary end-of-year data collection and archiving processes, as well as coordinating software access for Summer School.

Digital Learning

The Coaches are beginning end-of-year device tasks and concluding projects in schools. They are preparing for PD sessions with school leadership in July and continuing into the next school year.

Future Ready Program

Virtual Academy students are finalizing their digital portfolios, with presentations starting next week.

As the school year at Twilight School concludes, students are diligently working to complete coursework and prepare for next week’s exams. There is palpable excitement for the approaching graduation day, a significant milestone. Hope and optimism for their futures continue to grow daily, reflecting their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

AI Committee

Mrs. Payton-Roby held the final AI Committee meeting of the year, a wrap-up session reviewing the committee’s goals and accomplishments. Mr. Valenzisi provided an overview of expectations for the following school year and the philanthropic role of the new Digital Transformation position. The committee received well-deserved recognition at BOE workshops and the Admin monthly PD.

Library Media Services:

Janet Caiola at Norwalk High School received a commendation from the NEASC committee for her library work and successful grant applications, securing significant funding for Spanish and high-interest books.

Lynn Payton-Roby has begun one-on-one visits with Library Media Specialists to discuss successes and challenges, assist with lessons, and learn more about each Librarian personally.

The Library Media Specialists are initiating their closing routines. Circulation will end this week for most libraries. Mrs. Payton-Roby has allocated time for Librarians to collect books, send notices, organize and shelve materials, conduct shelf reading and inventory, store resources, run reports, and collaborate with IT on device collection.

Payroll/Benefits

Open Enrollment is currently active for all Norwalk Public Schools staff, covering medical, vision, and dental benefits. Communications have been sent out, and the benefits team is monitoring engagement and addressing inquiries as they come in.

The UKG transition is on track to wrap up within the next two weeks. Once finalized, the next phase will focus on building and implementing the UKG FMLA portal, including configuration, user access, and staff training.

The payroll team has begun preparations for the transition to summer school and end-of-year processes. This includes adjustments for varied pay schedules, finalizing next year’s payroll calendars, and ensuring accurate payouts for both 10-month and 12-month employees. Coordination is underway with Finance, Human Resources, and school administrators to align staffing changes, stipends, and summer assignments. Preliminary planning is also taking place to integrate these processes with the new UKG time and attendance portal to ensure smoother operations later this summer.

Budget

The City of Norwalk finalized its FY2025–2026 budget earlier this month, approving a 4% increase to the district’s allocation—an amount that falls $13.26 million short of the Board of Education’s original request. This gap necessitated difficult adjustments and raised concerns about potential reductions in staffing and services. District leaders have been working diligently to align the operating budget with the city’s final appropriation while advocating for additional support to safeguard critical programs.

As of late May, the projected shortfall stands at approximately $3 million. The Finance team continues to work through the reconciliation process, in collaboration with the City, to identify cost-saving measures and potential revenue sources. The Board of Education is expected to vote on the final reconciliation plan on June 3.

Internally, the team has also been focused on several key tasks: preparing payroll forecasts, managing demographic and status changes in the Munis system, administering Position Control Numbers (PCNs), creating 2025–2026 salary tables, and reallocating funds between payroll accounts. Meetings have continued with schools and departments to finalize budget transfers, manage general ledger summaries, and close out purchase orders.

Grants

The Grants team dedicated this period to reconciling and balancing all grant accounts as the fiscal year nears its close. Preparations are underway for the final fund requests to the state to ensure timely closure. The team is also engaged in budget planning for the upcoming year to ensure accurate alignment with district needs and funding guidelines.

Purchasing & Accounts Payable

A year-end memo was distributed outlining deadlines and instructions for submitting final purchase orders, requisitions, PCard charges, and grant-related payments. The team continues working closely with schools to process and close out open purchase orders and ensure timely payment processing across departments.

Capital

The Capital team focused on processing invoices and tracking open contracts and purchase orders related to ongoing and completed projects. This reconciliation work ensures accuracy in capital project management and prepares the district for upcoming reporting and compliance requirements.