Dr. Karen L. List, Superintendent
Dear Families,
Welcome to the West Hartford Public School District’s website. As you peruse the pages that describe our instructional programs, schools, Board of Education and district opportunities, you will discover that we are a district committed to quality learning for all members of our organization. The teachers, administrators and support staff of the West Hartford Public Schools are driven by our mission to ensure that our students reach their highest potential. Our District Goals address three areas of critical importance to us – Student Achievement, Safe Schools and Parent and Community Engagement. These goals have specific measurable standards on which the school administration reports annually to the Board of Education. The Board then reviews and evaluates them.
West Hartford is a wonderful town with strengths far beyond just its education system. In 2006, Money magazine ranked West Hartford as the10th most-educated town in the United States. West Hartford was ranked one of the top 100 places to live in the country by the same magazine in 2008. The Town Manager and I work hand-in-hand to ensure that we maintain and exceed the high expectations that our community has for our town and schools. West Hartford holds the coveted AAA bond rating from Moody’s Investor Service and Standard & Poor’s. This rating puts our town in the top half of one percent of communities in the country with regard to fiscal management, a singularly impressive accomplishment.
Our budgets are strategic, efficient, transparent, and accountable. As one example, our agility and responsiveness to creating a culture of conservation is reflected in the results of our Conservation Challenge, a successful effort that saved the town $150,000 in reduced electricity consumption.
Our high schools were ranked among the top 800 high schools (out of over 16,000 high schools) in the nation by Newsweek Magazine , and ranked us among the top eight in the state. In 2009, Emmett Gilles, a graduating Conard senior, was selected as a Presidential Scholar. Emmett’s accomplishments are one of scores that the West Hartford academic community has achieved. Our performing arts programs are internationally recognized. Our students begin instrumental music lessons in grade four and strive for selection to our elite jazz bands, choral groups and I Giovani Solisti, a combined high school string orchestra. The Hall High School Theatre Department was recently selected as one of 30 American high school theatre programs to compete in 2010 in the International Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, a citywide extravaganza that is the largest arts festival in the world.
Our schools are a tapestry of cultures and ethnicities, with 70 languages represented in our school system, a microcosm of all the talent, intelligence and diversity that America has to offer.
Community collaboration and service are important to us. We work closely with The Bridge Family Center to provide services for families through organizations such as our Family Resource Centers. Service to our community is evidenced through activities such as the Morley Backpack Brigade, a volunteer effort undertaken by students, teachers and parents to provide backpacks and school supplies to those in need. In the same vein, the Empty Bowls project was initiated by the two high schools to raise funds for and awareness about hunger. Community service is mandatory for high school students as part of their required American Government course.
Parental choice is important to our community. We have two elementary schools of choice – Charter Oak Academy of Global Studies, which we anticipate will be authorized as an International Baccalaureate School in 2010 - and Florence E. Smith School of Science, Math and Technology. Interested parents should contact these schools or when registering, ask for information. There is a lottery process for entry into these schools. If you reside in the Charter Oak or Smith neighborhoods, you may attend your neighborhood school or may opt-out to another West Hartford elementary school. We also have a smaller middle school of choice - Bristow. The school was named for a freed slave who resided in West Hartford, taught himself to read and write, and was a well-known and respected figure in the town.
I am privileged to lead this high-performing school district characterized by teachers, leaders, and support staff who are so committed to achievement and academic excellence. I invite you to imagine the possibilities for your child in our outstanding school district. We are focused on ensuring that for every child, anything is possible. The community of West Hartford and I will accept only the best for our children and our future.
Sincerely,
Karen L. List, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
