Bridgeport Superintendent Paul Vallas has signed a resolution with the local teachers’ union for the “successful implementation” of the school panels mandated by state law aimed at increasing teacher and parental involvement in the lowest-performing schools.
The resolution follows Vallas and Gary Peluchette, the president of the Bridgeport Education Association, meeting in Hartford with the state’s education commissioner.
The state’s largest teachers’ union filed a complaint with the State Department of Education in May alleging that Vallas showed a “flagrant disregard” of the School Governance Council requirement. Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor dismissed the complaint but invited the superintendent and Peluchette to meet with him to resolve the issue.
“There was recognition by all involved that communication could be better… It’s clear that there wasn’t sufficient communication at the local level previously,” Pryor said during an interview Thursday. This agreement “commits both parties to work together. This represents real progress.”