Teachers take control of New Haven school

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- A New Haven school once known for failing scores and low attendance now wants to be known for new ideas and teaching.

Governor Malloy toured the High School in the Community Tuesday morning. The state is helping it turn around, but this school already made one big change on its own.

"The teachers and their representatives have decided to take ownership of this particular school and play the leading role," said Gov. Malloy.

The teachers took over the High School in the Community last spring. There's no principal. The folks in the classrooms are making the decisions.

"It's kind of groundbreaking and it's a little bit of a risk involved on everyone's part," said David Ciracella, teachers' union president. "Ourselves to take on this project, and for the Mayor and the Superintendent to allow us to do that."

HSC has a history of being a little different, but in recent years that meant sinking test scores and graduation rates. Now the state has put it in a network of low performing schools overseen by the state education commissioner.

Being a part of the Commissioner's Network means an increase in state funding to the tune of $217 a student in New Haven, but it also means something more, it means a fresh start.

"Each of those new beginnings is shaped by who was in the buildings before, but this is an opportunity to say hey, let's get some additional people around the table, and let's put our heads together to get to a higher achievement level," Gov. Malloy said.

Governor Malloy was literally one of those heads around the table Tuesday morning for a meeting of the "turnaround committee." One of the ideas is to fundamentally change how we define high school. For some students, maybe it only needs to last three years, for some maybe five. Everything is up for discussion in a school getting a new beginning.