New Haven Public Schools Packet Summary — 2026-08-24
Meeting: Board of Education Regular Meeting - Aug 24 2026
Scheduled: August 24, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Format: Hybrid, with an on-site meeting at King Robinson, 150 Fournier Street, New Haven.
The Board of Education agenda includes policy second readings, a personnel report, two grant items, a large package of agreements and contracts, and committee and leadership reports. The agenda identifies its action items as matters for which discussion and a vote are anticipated.
Key Items on the Agenda
Parent and Community Civility Policy — Second Reading
The board is scheduled to consider a second reading of Parent and Community Responsibility/Involvement/Civility Policy #1110.2. The proposed policy emphasizes shared responsibility among families, schools, and the community for student success and sets expectations for constructive communication and participation in students' education.
The policy also establishes a framework for restricting access to schools, events, or district property when a parent, guardian, community partner, or visitor engages in disruptive, threatening, aggressive, abusive, or otherwise prohibited conduct. Proposed restrictions could be tailored to specific events or last as long as one academic year, depending on the severity of the conduct.
Under the proposed policy:
- Individuals subject to a warning or ban would receive verbal and written notice explaining the restriction.
- Restrictions could apply to school-day access, extracurricular activities, public events, athletic events, or other school-sponsored activities.
- The duration and scope of a restriction would be based on the circumstances and severity of the conduct.
- The Superintendent, affected principal, Chief of Security, and Director of YFCE would be notified of an administrative warning or ban.
- A parent, guardian, or community member could request that a restriction be lifted through the Assistant Superintendent overseeing the school.
Head Start Whistleblower Protection Policy — Second Reading
The board is also scheduled to consider a second reading of Whistleblower Protection Policy #4219. The policy states that employees, contractors, and subrecipients may report suspected misconduct, waste, fraud, abuse, or violations of laws, regulations, or grant requirements.
The proposed policy prohibits retaliation against individuals making protected disclosures and identifies termination, demotion, suspension, harassment, discrimination, and other adverse employment actions as potential forms of retaliation. It also calls for reports to be reviewed promptly and for confidentiality to be maintained to the extent possible.
Personnel Report
The Superintendent recommends board approval of a substantial personnel report covering instructional and non-instructional appointments, promotions, transfers, and other staffing actions for the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
The packet includes numerous teacher appointments effective primarily August 26, along with paraeducator appointments, non-instructional staffing changes, and an amended personnel report. The amendment includes two teacher transfers into instructional math coach positions and a promotional appointment to BOE Financial Manager.
Grants and School Improvement
$305,000 Hillhouse School Improvement Grant
The agenda includes a $305,000 School Improvement Grant for James Hillhouse High School, with a proposed period running through June 30, 2027.
Packet materials describe planned investments in instructional improvement, student engagement, attendance, instructional feedback, Tier 1 instruction, support for at-risk learners, and school facilities. Grant-supported activities include teacher and counselor work, student programming, college and career experiences, professional learning, and contracted services.
The grant materials identify goals including improving Hillhouse's graduation rate and reducing chronic absenteeism. The proposal also connects the work to district strategic priorities involving student achievement, whole-child development, and preparation for college, career, and life.
$64,839.67 for the NHPS Arabic Program
The board is scheduled to review a $64,839.67 Qatar Foundation International grant supporting NHPS Arabic programming. The packet describes the money as transitional funding as QFI grant support ends.
Planned uses include:
- Arabic-related student and family events.
- Cultural activities and performances.
- Field trips for Arabic students, including opportunities to practice the language.
- Continued work to standardize and improve Arabic reading and writing instruction.
- Consultant support for classroom observations, teacher feedback, and workshops.
The materials indicate that the funds do not have to be spent in a single year and may be carried forward for continued general Arabic-program support.
Major Financial and Contract Items
The Finance and Operations portion of the agenda contains numerous agreements, purchase orders, amendments, and contracts. Several of the largest or most consequential proposals involve instructional programs, student services, facilities, and school improvement.
$656,299.01 for i-Ready Classroom Math
A proposed purchase order with Curriculum Associates LLC, not to exceed $656,299.01, would provide the district's i-Ready Classroom math program and professional learning for grades Pre-K through 8 for the 2026-27 school year.
Funding is identified from the district's 2026-27 Operating Budget.
$525,000 Pathways/Riverside Collaborative Program
A proposed $525,000 agreement with Children's Community Program Connecticut would continue the Pathways/Riverside Collaborative Program for up to 14 at-risk New Haven students through June 30, 2027.
The packet says the provider would supply educational staff and related services and implement applicable IEPs and Section 504 plans. The proposed funding source is the Alliance Program.
Speech and Language Services
Two proposed agreements address speech-language staffing and services:
- Center for Pediatric Therapy — up to $226,362: The agreement would provide two speech-language therapists and related evaluation, remediation, consultation, IEP, documentation, and team services.
- Stephanie Gardner — up to $104,422.50: The agreement would provide speech-language services through June 30, 2027.
Packet materials describe contractual speech-language services as necessary because of staffing shortages and the district's obligation to provide required services to eligible special education students.
School Improvement Consulting — Up to $162,250 Listed on Agenda
The agenda lists an agreement with Cormier Consulting to provide leadership development, instructional expertise, and organizational support at BRADA, Roberto Clemente, and Lincoln Bassett schools, with an amount not to exceed $162,250.
Supporting materials elsewhere in the packet contain a different total of $165,250 for the three schools. Because the packet contains conflicting figures, the amount to be acted upon is a point to watch at the meeting.
The proposed work is tied to School Improvement Grant funding and focuses on building internal leadership and instructional capacity, coaching systems, professional learning, and sustainable school-improvement structures.
Hillhouse JROTC
Two proposed agreements with the U.S. Army would support JROTC instructors at James Hillhouse High School:
- MAJ Kiernan Shippee — $109,725.48, consisting of a stated Army portion of $53,362.74 and BOE portion of $56,362.74.
- SFC Lisa Rodriguez — $96,699.76, consisting of an Army portion of $45,723.44 and BOE portion of $50,976.32.
The packet describes the JROTC program as supporting citizenship, leadership, community service, personal responsibility, teamwork, and self-discipline.
$150,000 Hillhouse Career Pathways Program
A proposed $150,000 agreement with Justice Education Center would provide career exploration, workforce development, and career-pathway programming for Hillhouse students.
The supporting proposal describes construction laborer, carpentry, and automotive technology programs for 11th- and 12th-grade students. It proposes capacity for approximately 150 participating students and says successful students could earn technology credit and applicable industry credentials.
$84,008 Boys & Girls Clubs Partnership at Hillhouse
A proposed agreement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater New Haven, not to exceed $84,008, would establish student programming at Hillhouse.
Supporting materials describe a school-based after-school program expected to begin in September 2026, with programming in academic support, leadership development, mentoring, workforce readiness, life skills, recreation, and enrichment. The proposed program schedule calls for Tuesday-through-Thursday programming from 2:00 to 6:00 PM, with capacity for up to 100 students annually.
The packet proposes an agreement with Latoya Robinson d/b/a LTR Unlimited Corp, not to exceed $80,400, for services at Metropolitan.
The scope includes equity-centered trauma-informed professional learning, direct student interventions, applied theatre programming, support focused on ninth-grade students, consultation with teachers and student-support teams, restorative practices, and participation in the school's multi-tiered support processes.
$91,000 Project-Based Learning Support at BRADA
A proposed $91,000 renewal with Insight Coaching, LLC would support project-based learning and magnet-theme curriculum development at Betsy Ross Arts and Design Academy.
The packet says the consultant would work with staff on curriculum design and instructional implementation while building teachers' capacity to develop project-based learning units themselves.
Facilities and Operations
HVAC Amendment — $2.174 Million Total
The board is scheduled to consider Amendment #3 with Sav Mor Cooling and Heating Inc. for HVAC replacements at Edgewood and Lincoln Bassett.
The proposal would add $113,214.96, or 5.5%, to the existing $2,061,000 amount, bringing the project to a maximum of $2,174,214.96. The packet says the additional cost is associated with replacement control valves found to be nonfunctioning during removal work.
Cooperative High School Cooling Tower
An amendment with Tucker Mechanical would extend the Cooperative High School Cooling Tower project's end date from June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
The packet specifies no change to the project's $256,513.60 funding amount.
Environmental, Fire and Building Services
Several districtwide facilities contracts are also on the agenda:
- Total Environmental Restoration Solutions Inc. — up to $400,000 for on-call environmental health remediation.
- Encore Holdings LLC — up to $180,000 for annual fire-alarm inspections and repairs.
- Encore Holdings LLC — up to $120,000 for sprinkler-system inspections and repairs.
- New England Pump & Valve — up to $150,000 for districtwide pump service and repairs.
These contracts are proposed for the 2026-27 fiscal year using Capital Projects funding.
Other Student and Instructional Services
The agenda contains additional proposed agreements supporting specialized student services and enrichment.
Among them:
- $150,000 with Justice Education Center for Hillhouse career programming.
- $84,008 with Boys & Girls Clubs of New Haven for Hillhouse student programming.
- $80,400 with LTR Unlimited Corp for trauma-informed professional learning, applied theatre, and student interventions at Metropolitan.
- $91,000 with Insight Coaching for magnet-themed project-based learning at BRADA.
- $61,500 purchase order with Enome, Inc. for Goalbook-related professional development and consultation.
- Two U.S. Army JROTC instructor agreements totaling more than $206,000 in combined Army and BOE portions.
Some proposed agreements and expenditures rely on federal or grant accounts identified in the packet as pending receipt of funds, making funding availability an important condition attached to those items.
The agenda separately identifies a substantial group of agreements and purchase orders as Information Only, rather than placing them among the primary action categories.
These include services involving volunteer background screening, Chinese language and culture instruction, educator training, clinical consultation, EMT instruction, college and career readiness, instructional professional development, audiology, mental-resiliency resources, vehicle maintenance, moving services, environmental testing, and other district operations.
One revenue agreement with Westville Seafood LLC would provide concession services at Floyd Little Athletic Center, with the packet stating that the district would receive an amount not to exceed $16,050.
Board Goals and Leadership Reports
The President's Report includes implementation of a Board of Education Goals Workshop. Packet materials from the prior board meeting indicate that board leadership had been planning an August 24 workshop intended to establish board goals and align them with strategic priorities.
The agenda also includes:
- Student Representatives Report.
- Superintendent's Report, including an information-only personnel report.
- Governance Committee Report.
- Teaching and Learning Committee Report.
- Finance & Operations Committee Report.
- Head Start Committee Report.
- Food Service Task Group Committee Report.
- Citywide School Building Committee Report.
- Facilities Naming Committee Report.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Policy #1110.2: The proposed parent/community civility policy would establish detailed authority and procedures for warnings and access restrictions, including restrictions lasting up to an academic year.
- Policy #4219: The Head Start whistleblower policy would establish reporting and anti-retaliation protections tied to misconduct and federal grant requirements.
- School improvement spending: Hillhouse's proposed $305,000 SIG award and several related consulting and professional-learning arrangements put instructional improvement and school capacity-building prominently on the agenda.
- Special education staffing: More than $330,000 in proposed speech-language contracts is intended to address service needs that packet materials link to staffing shortages and compliance obligations.
- Large operating and capital commitments: The agenda includes a $656,299.01 math-program purchase, a $525,000 alternative educational program, a $400,000 environmental-remediation contract, and a $2.174 million amended HVAC project ceiling.
- Cormier Consulting amount: The agenda lists the proposed agreement at up to $162,250, while supporting packet materials state $165,250. The discrepancy may require clarification before action.
- Grant-dependent proposals: Several items explicitly depend on pending grant or federal funding, so the funding conditions attached to those commitments are relevant to the board's consideration.
The official public-body source for this packet is New Haven Public Schools.
Official Meeting Source URL: https://nhps.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&id=357
Meeting/document listing page: https://nhps.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx
Provider: diligent-community
Provider Meeting ID: 357
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials from the official public-body source.
