First Day of School: 'We're Off To A Good Start'

Before the first day of school, Interim Superintendent John Reed warned the Board of Education about the usual potential bumps in the road.

"We have a particularly full plate this year, a multitude of things we have before us," he said. Issues from bus routes to new staff to changing security measures pose challenges for the district in the 2013-14 school year, and the first day of school offers a microcosm of the year to come.

Newtown students across all grades reported to school Tuesday, many meeting new principals. At Reed Intermediate School, students were greeted by therapy dogs courtesy of the group Therapy Dogs International.

When Patch spoke with Reed, he was on his way to visit his last school of the day, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Monroe. He spent the day walking through the halls of five other schools -- the high school, middle school, Reed Intermediate School and Middle Gate Elementary School.

"I can tell you, as of 1:45 p.m., what I'm hearing is a lot of happy staff members," he said. "Based upon the opportunity to be with the kids and the perceptions I've gotten from teachers, the first day of school is going quite well."

A record 62 new staff joined the district this year. Eleven are administrators, including new principals at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Reed Intermediate School and Newtown Middle School.

"I think [the number] is virtually unheard of," Reed said at an Aug. 20 Board of Education meeting. "But the vast majority of these vacancies would have been in existence regardless of the events that happened last year."

At least one full-time position stems from the Dec. 14 shooting. Bryan Kirmil joins Sandy Hook Elementary School this year as a temporary assistant principal.

"When you have 5,000 students, you're certainly going to have some whose days not going as well as you like," said Reed. "Some kids might be nervous. But the overwhelming feeling -- after talking to the principle and staff, and observing kids -- is we're off to a good start."

Reed said he visited about 50 classrooms over the course of the day.

"Kids are engaged, productive and things are going on," he said. "The principal and the staff were overwhelmingly positive about greeting the kids."

"The Relative Promise of the Busses"

At an Aug. 20 Board of Education meeting, some members shared memories of slow commutes and long delays over the last year.

"The bus ride was 50 minutes long and my daughter didn't get home until 4:45 in the afternoon," said board member Kathy Hamilton. "It was a really long day."

Some new routes have allowed bus drivers to cut back on time this year. Most significantly, Reed said, Sandy Hook Elementary School students' commute to Chalk Hill School in Monroe has been trimmed by 10 minutes.

"There were obviously wonderful savings made, and there were reductions in budgets and there were efficiencies in routing," Reed said at the meeting. "We want to see how that plays out this year. We could determine we need another bus someplace."

When Patch spoke to Reed Tuesday afternoon, he said everything he'd heard told him of a smooth first day for kids on the bus. Before the first day, he'd predicted a 10-minute delay. He said that number was more or less accurate.

"With thousands of customers, there are some who are not happy and because they might want a bus stop closer to their home," he said. "As far as the busses and planning of the routes and getting the kids closer to the school, we're probably 10 minutes behind for some of the buildings. But the principles were surprised at the relative promise of the busses."