Community resources for Learning

Support Standard

Community Resources for Learning

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Executive Summary

Bristol Central High School receives dependable funding for a wide range of programs and services; however, the recession of 2007 has had a negative impact on the school.Generally speaking, Bristol Central receives funding to meet basic needs, but rising costs and a stagnant budget are beginning to force the abolition of ancillary services and extracurricular programming.

Bristol Central High School receives sufficient funding to offer a wide range of programs and services; yet more programs and opportunities for career exploration must be offered to engage the most disengaged students.The school offers a variety of academic and extracurricular programs staffed by highly trained professionals who serve a diverse student population across a broad spectrum of needs and interests. Bristol Central High School has adequate funding for sufficient technological resources, although it is often difficult to get technology support or training.Every classroom is equipped with a SMART Board; computers and Chromebooks are easily accessible to students. In many instances, though, training in this technology is lacking. The technology support department is understaffed and repairs can often take weeks. Funding for the purchase of equipment is sufficient, yet more must be done to support the implementation and maintenance of 21st century technology.

Bristol Central develops, plans, and adequately funds programs that ensure the maintenance and repair of the building and school plant; properly maintains, catalogues, and replaces equipment; and keeps the school clean on a daily basis. The custodians have well-defined job descriptions for the maintenance of the facility. The school system uses trained personnel for repair and maintenance and also subcontracts out services that cannot be handled by our custodians and employees. District maintenance personnel provide targeted support for specific building maintenance needs. More funding must be devoted to the maintenance of athletic fields, but the school plant is properly maintained.

Faculty and building administrators have active involvement in the budgetary process, including its development and implementation. Ideally, the yearly budget process begins in October and culminates in May. In recent years, the school budget has been subjected to City Council and Board of Finance arguments. The political struggles of the past several years have resulted in level funding for the Board of Education.

The school site and plant do support the delivery of high quality school programs and services, although the consensus is that space can be limited. We do have highly functioning science labs, a separate guidance department, and a large, fully functioning Library Media Center. The band and chorus enjoy their own classrooms, and the technology education department has state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment. Still, much of this space is shared. Some teachers still travel between classrooms, and various spaces are used by multiple classes, groups, or organizations. Although space can at times be confining, the physical building promotes high quality services.

Bristol Central High School's physical plant and facilities meet all applicable federal and state laws and are in compliance with local fire, health, and safety regulations. Since the last NEASC visitation to Bristol Central High School, the school has installed a plan/procedure for a school lockdown in response to both internal and/or external threats. Bristol Central High School has equipped the facility with both external and internal security cameras and has a School Resource Office on the premises.

Bristol Central High School actively engages parents and families as partners in each student's education and attempts to reach out specifically to those families who have been less connected in the past. The staff and administration regularly communicate with parents via various forms of technology, including our school website, email, twitter, Parent Connect phone calls, and mailings. A bus is available for parents who many not have transportation and who wish to attend parent- teacher conferences, although this service has been underused. Hundreds of families attend and participate in an annual cultural fair, enjoying music and food from various parts of the world. The school makes a concerted effort to build partnerships with families to support the educational process.

Evidence suggests that Bristol Central High School has effectively developed and produced productive parent, community, business and higher education partnerships that support student learning. Partnerships with local businesses and colleges allow students to have authentic learning opportunities and offer the opportunity to earn college credit while at Bristol Central. A full-time career counselor works to ensure all students have meaningful experiences in the exploration of future endeavors. Members of the United Way Youth Leadership Board and the InterAct Club collaborate frequently with community organizations. Job credit and volunteer credit opportunities, as well as a strong service learning program, demonstrate that Bristol Central is proactive in building connections with the community.

Based on the Rating Guide for Standard 7, Bristol Central High School judges their adherence to the Standard as ACCEPTABLE.

STRENGTHS:

  • Fully funded support staff
  • OSHA training for all staff
  • Increased accessibility to technology
  • Creation of parent resource center
  • Student liaison to school board for 2014-2015 school year
  • Continued funding of co-curricular activities
  • Additions to varsity sports
  • Administration's active role in budgetary process and decisions
  • Formal partnerships with community and four year colleges
  • Communication with parents

NEEDS:

  • Provide additional and/or replacement equipment (genie lift, new whiteboards, etc.)
  • Implement better access to technology
  • Increase per pupil expenditure (lowest in DRG)
  • Provide staff training and support in technology
  • Purchase high quality supplies
  • Provide funding to better maintain athletic fields.
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