Annual Report of the FY2011-12 School Year.
The approved budget for the FY11-12 school year was $62,711,007.00. The official PK-12
grade student enrollment on October 1, 2011 was 5,643. On October 1, 2010 the number was
5,876. This enrollment decline has been somewhat consistent over the past four years. A
declining birth rate and the impact of magnet schools are the two greatest contributors to the
decline. The declining enrollment played a key part in the decision to reorganize the PK-8th
grade schools for September 2011.
By far the most significant school related event in FY11-12 was the reorganization of the
PK-8th grade schools. In June 2011, the school year ended for the nine PK-6th grade
elementary buildings and the single middle school housing all 7th and 8th grade students.
On September 1st the District reopened with four PK-2 grade buildings, three 3-5 grade
buildings, and a middle school housing all 6-8th grade students. The Stowe Elementary
School was leased by the Town to the Capital Region Education Council (CREC).
CREC is operating a magnet school out of that building until their new school is constructed.
The Alcorn School saw the relocation of several school programs into that building. With
the addition of the 6th graders, the John F. Kennedy Middle School became our largest
school with a student population of 1,201. The PK-8th grade reorganization was Phase I
of our reorganizational efforts.
Phase II of the reorganization is the consolidation of the two high schools into one building.
The Board of Education and Town Council worked closely together towards that goal.
As a result a referendum is proposed for November 2012 for the remodeling and expansion
of the current Enfield High School building. If approved, this will provide funding for the
project and begin the process of creating a single 9-12th grade high school in Enfield.
School Board election took place in November and the results saw five Democrats and
four Republicans elected to the Board of Education for two year terms. Elected were
incumbents Vincent Grady, Joyce Hall, Charles Johnson, Peter Jonaitis, and Donna
Szewczak. Newly elected were Kevin Fealy, Tina LeBlanc, Timothy Neville, and Jennifer
Rancourt. Mr. Neville was elected Board Chairman.
The Board of Education saw a .69% increase to their budget which will rise to $63,690,447.00
for FY12-13. The new Board also completed an update to the Three Year Technology Plan
and embarked on two pilots using i-Pads. The new Board made a conscious effort to
expand existing, and develop new, partnerships with the business community. As in the past, the
Board dealt with numerous unfunded mandates, State Department of Education requirements,
and various local initiatives in the areas of policy, curriculum, personnel, and facilities.
Administrative personnel changes were quite numerous this past year. Retiring in June were
John Gallacher, Superintendent; Tony Torre, Assistant Superintendent; Linda Cavanaugh,
Curriculum Director; Tom Duffy, Enfield High School Principal; Brien Brown, Fermi High
School Assistant Principal; and Bob Fenton, Whitney School Principal. The Board of
Education hired Dr. Jeffrey Schumann as the new Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Schumann
begins his term of service on July 1, 2012.
The students and staff of the Enfield Public Schools had another productive year. PK-8
students, staff, parents, and guardians were adjusting to the PK-8 reorganization. A survey
conducted in June showed that for the most part the parents/guardians were satisfied with
the reorganization. Areas needing improvement were also identified in the survey. Many,
many students earned academic, extra-curricular, co-curricular, and community service
accolades. Mrs. Dale Gregoire, 2nd Grade teacher at Hazardville-Memorial School was
selected as Enfield’s 2012 Teacher of the Year.
The District also joined with the Town Council to address two difficult incidents this past
year. The first was the devastation caused by a freak October snow storm which left Enfield,
and most of the State, without power and major road closures for a ten day period. Both
John F. Kennedy Middle School and Enfield High School were opened as emergency
centers for the community. Schools were closed for a record six consecutive days. The
second tragedy was the suicide deaths of three young people in our community. Again, the
District and Town Council united to address the issue of suicide warning signs and prevention
strategies. These efforts included students, family members, church leaders, elected officials,
community groups, and State agencies.
We hope you have found this report informative. Again, a great deal of additional information
on individual schools and the District can be found on the Board’s web page and the
Connecticut State Department of Education’s web page. We encourage you to be
knowledgeable of your public schools and to become involved in them.
Best wishes for a successful school year in FY12-13.
Sincerely,
John Gallacher, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools