State Releases Strategic Profile
By Robin Vinci at May 6, 2024 | 7:00 am | Print
In New Britain 16.5 percent of K-12 students are not fluent in English. This was one of the statistics the state released in an outline of the 2009-10 profile on the school district.
At a recent Board of Education meeting, Sharon Locke, district coordinator of testing, explained the strategic school profile.
In 2009 there were 10,224 students enrolled in New Britain which is a 5.9 percent decline in the number of students from 2008-09.
“If you compare us to the state average and the DRG (classification of students similar to those in New Britain), we outpace the state and our DRG,” said Locke referring to students not fluent in English. In the state that number is 5.4 percent and 15 percent in the DRG compared to the 16.5 percent in New Britain. The DiLoreto Magnet School has 45.4 percent of students not fluent in English.
New Britain also had 3.9 percent homeless students compared to 0.9 percent in the DRG and 0.2 percent in the state.
About 44 percent of students in New Britain come from homes where English is not the primary language. The number of non-English home languages is 55. This put 77.9 percent of New Britain students as being minority students. Hispanic students are 57.3 percent of the school population.
Students eligible for free or reduced meals were 79.4 percent in New Britain elementary schools compared to 36.7 percent in the state. New Britain students with disabilities was also higher than the state average.
“We have a lot of indicators of educational need,” said Locke.
In New Britain 73.9 percent of the 2009 graduating class actually graduated compared to 91.3 percent in the state. Of those, 75.2 percent in the City were going on to higher education compared to 84.5 percent in the state. In New Britain 17.4 percent of students were going on to civilian employment or armed services compared to 10.4 percent in the state.
Expenditures per pupil showed New Britain spends less than the DRG or the state. Expenditures per pupil in New Britain is $12,642 compared to $13,458 in the DRG and $13,386 in the state.
“Although we have more needs as is indicated in first few pages our expenditure is less,” said Locke.
Sharon Beloin-Saavedra, board of education president, said the state ECS pays about $7,000 of the $12,642.
The Strategic Profile also showed New Britain spends 27.7 percent compared to 21.6 percent in the DRG and 20.7 percent in the state in special education expenditures.
“We have a disproportionate percentage and it costs us more money so there is less available for other things,” added Dr. Doris Kurtz, school superintendent. “It’s not a judgment, it’s simply a fact for people who think we get so much and can’t do more with it.”
Others statistics showed New Britain had more students identified as gifted or talented than the state or DRG average; and junior and senior students working 16 hours or more were less in New Britain than the DRG or state average.
