For more than 13 years, Hartford Public Schools has been running a Full Service Community Schools (FSCS) program which provides “wraparound supports” (sort of like parenting except that all parties involved are absolved of some level of responsibility) so “students can excel in the classroom and throughout their communities.”  “So students can excel in the classroom” – remember this phrase, it’s an important plot point.

In September of 2023, the Board of Education approved more than $2.5 million to be divided among six community partners to serve up to 1,160 HPS students from among 14 HPS schools for the FSCS program for the school year 2023-2024.  The offending district partners are: The Boys & Girls Club, The Village, Catholic Charities, Career Resource, Inc., Blue Hills Civic Association, and Active City.

Included in the documents for the contract approval presentation is a slide which states the “SY23-24 Outcome Requirements.”  The use of the word “requirements” is gray area because it denotes a condition that must be met or there will be consequences and the world is well aware that HPS and the BOE never inquire or hold accountable any contracted party to something as mundane as “requirements.”  At any rate, these are the stated “requirements:”

• 100% enrollment of contracted slots

• 75% student attendance

• 60% active parental involvement in school and program activities

• 60% engaged students demonstrate social-emotional development via school climate & culture surveys.

From this September of 2023 presentation you will note the absence of our important plot point in any of the “Outcome Requirements,” excelling in the classroom, an outcome underscoring the intention of the entire program!

Nearly two weeks ago, HPS presented the BOE with a “Mid-Year Update” on the FSCS program, just in case they were interested.  From the little tables provided by the district, we find that only two of the six contracted non-profit partners (The Village and The Boys & Girls Club) listed “academic achievement” under their “scope of service.”  However, neither of these two entities shared any academic achievement data, so what’s the point? 

To make things more ridiculous, in the column labeled “Projected Outcomes,” the district stated that for each partner at each school where they are providing services, 80% of the students who they are working with will “demonstrate literacy & numeracy improvement.”  A projected outcome matching our important plot point.  However, in the column labeled “Progress Measures,” not one contracted non-profit partner provided any data to show a measure of the district’s “Projected Outcomes.”

No response from board members.

What data that is provided under “Progress Measures” does not paint a pretty picture.  Students in the program from only 4 of the 14 schools are meeting the district’s “Outcome Requirements” for attendance, with half of them reporting less than a 50% attendance record for students in the program.

Board Member Walker raised this as being an issue.  The district’s response to Mr. Walker is classic.  Ms. Nuchette Black-Burke, Chief of Family and Community Engagement at HPS, as well as being Mayor of Windsor, gave the district’s response.  Black-Burke stated that yes, “it is noticeable,” and the reason for contracted partners not meeting the attendance “requirement” …are you ready?  It is because of the new TransAct Data System and the folks working for the non-profits are having trouble inputting the information.  Seriously, this is the reason given.  Jinelle Hooker, Community Schools Manager at HPS, echoed Ms. Black-Burke and said that their next report should show an increase in attendance.  Yes, I bet it will.

Remember, this program has been in place for over 13 years.  The handsomely paid partners of HPS are unable to keep attendance and unable to provide academic data yet somehow, based on the district’s “Outcome Requirements,” they will be able to measure and provide data on parental involvement and the involved students views on school climate and culture (which they didn’t do here).  Oh, Lord.

Despite all the rhetoric underscoring the mission of the FSCS program, all the rhetoric added into nicely arranged contract proposals and in nicely formatted tables for metric measures, the one point that puts all of this failure into perspective was made by Board Member Johnson at the December 7th meeting: “You can’t quantify the impact work this group is doing.”  The district says they will measure, the contracted partner says they will measure, but the measures do not come and Johnson, speaking for the BOE, says it doesn’t matter, you can’t measure their work.

Remind me again why HPS bothers having a superintendent, a central office, and a board of education.  There was better governance displayed in the Lord of the Flies.