Once you reach higher heights, gravity becomes a larger issue.

In December 2021, Hartford Public Schools paid $500,000 to the non-profit Higher Heights for the stated goals of increasing graduation rates in Hartford high schools and “empowering, encouraging, and equipping” students for the move into college.  

In February of 2022, HPS issued great news on the Higher Heights program, stating that the “college application submission rate” was up 30 points to 64%, compared with 34% in February 2021.  Similarly, in November of 2022, Higher Heights’ Executive Director Ms. Felder-McEntire, presented a giddy presentation to the Board of Education on the success of the Highter Heights program at HPS.

Ms. Felder-McEntire stated that “HPS saw the great work we were doing,” it was “wonderful work,” there was “excitement” about the program, it was a time to “celebrate,” students were building “strong relationships with advisors who looked like them,” and students in the junior class were “knocking on the door to get in.”

Higher Heights spoke of success in terms of FAFSA and college applications filled out, college tours and college fairs.  A stated goal of the program, as stated at the awarding of the half million dollars in 2021, was to increase “enrollment into post-secondary education.”  And what were those numbers?  Ms. McEntire stated they did not have that data because the contract with HPS “did not include post-secondary tracking.”  Yes, we will increase the number of HPS students entering college, trust, but don’t ask us for numbers because our contract doesn’t require that we track students once they leave HPS.

Ms. Felder-McEntire stated that they “confirmed” a student’s going to college based on college applications going out, and college acceptance letters coming in.  At Weaver High School, 77% of seniors were “confirmed” as going to go to college.  However, only 52% of seniors had completed the FAFSA.  At Bulkeley High, 84% of seniors were “confirmed” as going to college, yet only 74% had completed the FAFSA.  The situation was more balanced at Hartford Public High where 72% were “confirmed” as going to college and 71% had completed the FAFSA. 

However, the stated percentages are not representative of the entire senior student body at each high school.  Higher Heights was given a certain number of students to work with from each school.  From Weaver there were 82 students, 87 from Bulkeley, and 95 from Hartford High.  This was done, stated Ms. Felder-McEntire, because HPS had other community-based organizations working to do the same thing.  Spending millions on overlapping services is just the HPS way of doing business.  At any rate, how were the students in the Higher Heights portion of HPS’ college enrollment building plan chosen?  Mr. Felder-McEntire couldn’t say, neither could Nuchette Black-Burke from the superintendent’s inner circle.

Moving the story down the calendar to July of 2023, we find Ms. Felder-McEntire giving another BOE presentation, but it wasn’t for a Higher Heights renewal, it was for another dubious non-profit called ReadyCT.  This was happening because Ms. Felder-McEntire was now an employee of HPS, hired in January of 2023 for the position of HPS Executive Director of Post-Secondary Success & Alternative Programming.  While her non-profit is under contract with HPS, Ms. Felder-McEntire is hired by HPS for a central office position.  While this smells like a conflict of interest, the smell will become a stench if going forward HPS renews its contract with Higher Heights and its executive director, Ms. Felder-McEntire, now an employee of HPS.

So, despite the “great” work, the “wonderful” work said to have been done by Higher Heights, their program is, as of June 2023, dead in the water, not from a lack of veracity in its data reporting (folks on the BOE do not require veracity in the data used to assess million dollar programs) but because the superintendent had a vacant seat in central office that she felt needed filling.  Taking care of those in the business is more important than the business at hand, taking care of students. 

Peculiarities also line the background of this story like cheap wallpaper.

In April 2021, while operating her educational non-profit Higher Heights, Ms. Felder-McEntire’s bank account was enlarged by a federal COVID relief loan for a “recreation and sports field” business she apparently headed up.

Three months later, in July of 2021, “after several months as a consultant for Naugatuck Public Schools,” this busy woman was hired as associate vice-principal at Naugatuck High School.  The news story on the hiring does not mention her non-profit work.

Five months later, in December of 2021, HPS handed her Higher Heights non-profit the $500,000 HPS contract.

Two months later, in February of 2022, HPS stated that the Higher Heights “investment” had been for $735,000, although no other BOE approval for the difference could be found.

Six months later, in August of 2022, Higher Heights reports that its revenue for the fiscal year ending May 2022, was only $284,000, despite having received a $500,000 check from HPS in December of 2021.

Three months later, in November of 2022, Ms. Felder-McEntire abruptly resigns as associate vice-principal at Naugatuck High School.

Two months later, in January of 2023, Ms. Felder-McEntire is given a $157,000 salaried position with the HPS central office while the HPS/Higher Heights contract was still in effect.

Three months later, in March of 2023, Ms. Felder-McEntire gives an interview to the CT Mirror on the student loan problem.  In the story, she states that she is a “a district administrator for an urban school district here in Connecticut.”  She does not name the district – Hartford.  She does, however, mention she is also the founder of the non-profit, Higher Heights; a non-profit pushing students into the student loan problem.

The problem with gravity is less about the falling from higher heights and more about the eventual impact.