Hartford public schools chief Beth Schiavino-Narvaez is reorganizing the Central Office leadership structure for the 21,575-pupil system, restoring some former posts and recasting a handful of others.
The city school board Tuesday approved Schiavino-Narvaez’s restructuring plan, her first big move since the release of a transition report on Oct. 20, the district said. She was hired as superintendent in July.
All of the changes in the Central Office structure are reallocations of existing budgeted positions, and no additional positions were created, Narvaez said in a statement.
“When done correctly, a central office transformation becomes a high-impact lever that yields great results,” she said. “We believe this restructuring will elevate academics; accelerate student learning and decrease the variability of performance across and within schools; promote family and community partnerships; focus on communications and policy; and provide meaningful, reliable data that can be used to make sound decisions that impact teaching and learning.”
Under her plan, the chief academic officer post returns, with associate superintendent for instruction leadership Kathleen England moving into that slot, effective Jan. 2. England’s job will focus on the core business of teaching and learning, an area the report cited as lacking.
England will be succeeded by newcomer Leslie Torres-Rodriguez.
In a related action, the six district portfolio directors, who presently supervise principals, will now be known as associate superintendents for instructional leadership. They will be overseen by a chief school improvement officer, to better reflect their roles and responsibilities in cultivating great principal leadership practices.
Effective on Monday, Dec. 8, Jeron T. Campbell joins the staff in the newly created post of chief data and accountability officer. Campbell supervises, among other things, the development and use of assessments and other data to improve teaching and learning, as well as the design and implementation of accountability processes and systems.
The School Improvement Office now also will be responsible for adult education programming, crisis intervention teams and the safe school climate coordinator.
Another new post — executive director of compliance — has been created within the office to ensure that the district fulfills its state and federal Special Education requirements.
Meanwhile, the district’s Office of Early Literacy and Parent Engagement will be changed to better reflect the work the district does with families and communities. It is led by Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer Deidre Tavera.
Additionally, the Office of Institutional Advancement will be renamed the Office of Communication and Public Policy to strengthen communications with parents and other stakeholders.
The finance, talent management and operations functions of the district will remain unchanged, the district said.
