http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14705338&BRD=1343&PAG=461&dept_id=433660&rfi=8
Brad Durrell, Editor
June 16, 2005
| School Supt. John J. Ramos Sr. has been traveling throughout Bridgeport during the past two weeks, in an attempt to visit all the system's 36 schools by the time the school year ends early next week. | Now in his second week on the job, his marathon travel sessions have taken him to up to six schools a day. He also has been busy fulfilling other obligations of his position.
"I want to get a sense of all the schools and what they look like," said Ramos, a 52-year-old Bridgeport native. "I want to be able to put a face with a name when it comes to principals and teachers, so when the next school year starts I'll know who's who."
One reality he has experienced during his visits is the poor conditions of many school buildings, from the lack of air conditioning to playing fields in such bad shape that opposing teams don't want to compete there.
"The disparity that exists between Bridgeport and some of the surrounding towns is obviously striking," he said. "What I've found unsettling is the disparity within our own district."
Ramos said he was taken aback by the physical conditions at McKinley, which will be replaced by one of four new schools being built in the next few years, and at Harding High.
"If you give them a facelift, a fresh paint job, fix the outdoor areas - if you're able to do things like that - it would give them a boost that's psychological as well as physical," he said.
Board of Education President Auden C. Grogins said she is impressed with Ramos' determination to visit all the schools.
"He's getting to know our staff, teachers and students," Grogins said. "And he wants them to know him as well."
Ramos said while everyone is familiar with the many challenges facing the city's school system, he is finding many positive attributes as well.
"There is a lot of quality in this district in terms of the teacher-learning environment, security systems and the response I've been getting from students," he said. "We certainly have to celebrate our successes and make it clear, both externally and internally, that we have a good foundation."
Ramos previously was state deputy education commissioner for educational programs and services, school superintendent in Watertown, and assistant superintendent and a high school principal in Norwalk. He also has run an alternative high school and worked at a university in Rhode Island.
Mayor John M. Fabrizi, a former educator who has talked to Ramos frequently in recent weeks, said the new superintendent's diverse job background is a real plus.
"He has strengths as an administrator, a policy-maker and in knowing the state statues, rules and regulations on public education," Fabrizi said.
Grogins said Ramos is prepared to deal with issues such as funding shortages, poor test scores and school violence. "He brings to the table a lot of experience," she said. "This isn't new to him."
Proficient and college-ready
Ramos said his top priorities are to have all students "perform at high levels of proficiency - by that I mean B's, not C's," and to make sure all high school graduates are college-ready. "Whether they want or choose to go to college, that's still the end game," he said.
He is waiting for three assessment reports to be completed so the school system can create a strategic plan and establish an accountability model.
A private foundation is conducting an organizational assessment of the school system, the state will assist with a fiscal audit and an outside group will do an instructional assessment.
"This will give us valuable baseline information," he said.
Ramos said the strategic plan would highlight what the district must do and who is responsible for doing it. "It's not a document that will sit on the shelf and gather dust," he said. "We're going to create accountability throughout the system. We want to ensure we stay focused and galvanize our resources."
He said having a plan would help the city get more funds from various sources.
"This kind of information will diffuse those who say we're just wasting money," he said. "When we go to the state legislature or a private foundation, we won't just be asking people for money for the sake of having more money. We'll be able to show them how we will use the money."
While the end of the legislative session last week brought good news for Bridgeport, with a big increase in state education aid, Ramos noted a recent study concluded that the Bridgeport school system would need $69 million more annually to do its job properly.
"Money doesn't solve anything, but it helps," he said.
He said an increased education budget would allow the schools to lower class size from an average of 30 students. "The current situation makes for a much more difficult presentation for teachers," he said.
As for school security, Ramos plans to clarify the code of conduct and coordinate ideas with the police. He also wants to look at "meaningful alternatives" for children having discipline or motivational problems, such as the establishment of more alternative programs.
He said when students are actively engaged in their schools curriculum and activities, they are less likely to cause discipline problems. One way to better engage students is through "culturally relevant instructional strategies," he said, noting 90 percent of students in the city's schools are minority.
"We have to understand what kids are bringing to the table and take advantage of that to bring them to where we want them to go," Ramos said.
Other priorities are improving working conditions so more city teachers will remain in Bridgeport and working closely with the community. "The only way we'll be able to move this district forward is if we link arm-in-arm," he said.
Ramos, who is married with two children ages 20 and 31, is unsure if he will move to Bridgeport. He lives in Watertown, just north of Waterbury, and a parent lives with him in an in-law apartment.
He said his preference is to move to Bridgeport, but he won't make a decision until he has settled into his job for while. "I've always lived in the district where I've worked," he said. "There's an obvious upside to that, so we'll have to see."
Ramos grew up in the East End and graduated from the former Lincoln School. He went to Harding High for his freshman year, and then transferred to Fairfield Prep through the Upward Bound program. His father, the son of Cape Verdean immigrants, worked at Carpenter Steel and Sikorsky Aircraft.
Ramos earned a bachelor's degree at Brown University, a master's degree at the University of Rhode Island and a doctorate in education at Columbia University. | | ©Hometown Publications 2007 |
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment