Stamford Public Schools District Plans To Address Staffing Concerns

STAMFORD, CT — In one of her recent weekly messages, Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero said she wants to address staffing concerns in the district.

In recent weeks, Lucero said she participated in listening sessions at each school in Stamford.

"Concerns were raised about a cell phone policy, building conditions, school safety, and mental health needs. In response, we have or are developing collaborative committees to discuss, develop and create plans to address these concerns moving forward," Lucero said. "I must acknowledge the overarching concern from PreK through 12th grade is the need for staffing that meets the diverse needs of our learning community."

Lucero said the requests for staffing support reminded her of the mold crisis in the district, and the facilities needs that were identified in the Master Facilities plan.

"Although the facilities plan came with a hefty price tag, we finally understood the cost, and worked with our mayor, state delegation, and city boards to identify a funding source to rebuild or renovate various school buildings in the coming years," Lucero said. "This made me ask, 'What if we take a similar approach to address staffing concerns? What if we create a master staffing plan, developed collaboratively by hosting listening sessions to determine the specific staffing needs moving forward in line with the new building configuration identified in our facilities plan?'"

To that end, Lucero said this September, the school district will host various listening sessions with school communities to identify the staffing needs and develop a Master Staffing Plan.