Acting Bridgeport Superintendent Dr. Royce Avery took anonymous questions from parents and community members on Monday afternoon amid a turning point in one of the state’s largest public school systems.
Avery inherits a district in turmoil. A recent union survey revealed that 80% of teachers had considered leaving the district, which is running at a $38 million deficit. The survey also revealed a 97% no-confidence rate in former superintendent Carmella Levy-David.
Over Facebook Live, surrounded by some of his cabinet members, Avery took questions on everything from school safety, parent involvement, and understaffing.
He said staff cuts are on the table as they work to improve the district's fiscal health.
“We're trying to stay away from classrooms if possible, but realistically, we're going to have to keep everything on the table for consideration,” Avery said. “And so as a district and as a board, as we move together to decide which way to go with this collectively, we're going to have to be mindful that everything is going to have to be considered in order to be able to come up with the necessary funds to balance the budget. And so with 80-85% of the district budget is staffing, we're going to have to look at that in order to recoup that amount of money.”
High costs in the district have been blamed on special education expenses.
Avery said he plans to regain the trust of the teaching staff through “smaller conversations about certain content areas” with them and their union.
The October union survey, which was answered by around 50% of teachers, found that 97% of respondents did not think Levy-David had the respect of her teaching staff.
When asked what made Avery different from Levy-David, he pointed to his ability to build relationships.
“Every leader within a system has their unique capabilities and leadership style,” Avery said. “You know, for me, it's important for me to be able to build relationships based on who I engage with and the needs of the district.”
Avery said he plans to make the community forums — where questions can be anonymously submitted — regular. The next one is on Wednesday evening at the North Branch library.
