Board of Ed Earns Leadership Award
By Chris Seymour | Correspondent at December 23, 2023 | 6:00 pm | Print
The New Britain school board was recently honored with a Board of Education Leadership Award from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE).
This is the second year in a row New Britain has earned a Level I - Board Recognition Award from Wethersfield-based CABE, which serves local and regional school districts in Connecticut.
“Congratulations to the New Britain Board and superintendent for again winning the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education’s Leadership Award,” stated CABE Executive Director Robert Rader.
“The award is given to boards that use best practices in how they conduct board meetings, build relationships with the public and other critical responsibilities,” added Rader. “While the work of a Board is often underappreciated, the many hours of volunteer effort put in by its members attempting to strengthen the district plays a crucial part in helping our children and building our communities.” As one might imagine, New Britain Board of Education President Sharon Beloin Saavedra was thrilled to earn the achievement once again.
“The board is proud to have received CABE’s level 1 recognition award two years in a row,” she observed. “The application packet is quite detailed, requiring many submissions of artifacts from agendas and minutes to policy and curriculum and communication to processes and protocol development. This recognition validates the diligent work of the Board as a team.” Indeed, according to CABE’s website, its Board Recognition Awards are all about recognizing and celebrating teamwork.
“CABE believes that Boards of Education and Superintendents which exhibit the most effective leadership are characterized by their ability to work together as ‘teams,’ observed CABE.
The criteria for the CABE award is categorized under five areas (boards must meet a minimum of three in each area), including community relations, board member professional development, policy, related organizational leadership, and board leadership/student achievement.
New Britain was one of 11 school systems around the state to be honored with a Level I Board Leadership Award. Others included the boards of education in Plainfield, Canterbury, Coventry, East Lyme, Salem, Thomaston, Vernon, Waterford, Wilton and Windsor Locks.
Schools that earn a Level I award two years in a row (like New Britain just did) then become eligible to win a Level II - CABE Board of Distinction Award (which New Britain will be eligible for next year).
In all, 16 Boards of Education across the Nutmeg State earned that honor, including Newington, Bloomfield, Berlin and Plainville.
