Chambers Chosen Candidate
By David Huck | Correspondent at March 27, 2024 | 6:30 pm | Print
BOE to Make Final Decision April 7
School officials have selected David L. Chambers, the current principal at the Nursing and Health Sciences Academy at Hartford Public High School, as their preferred candidate to lead New Britain High School.
Superintendent of Schools Kelt Cooper described Chambers as the “clear and decisive” candidate from the more than 50 people who applied for the position of principal at the 2,500-student school. The Board of Education will vote on Chambers’ hiring during their next meeting on April 7. His resume includes working in middle, high, magnet, and open choice schools, as well as in rural and urban school systems, all experiences that have made him the “right” person to take on the job, Chambers said.
Chambers was introduced to the public during a forum that was held on March 26 at the high school and was attended by more than 50 people. Chambers, who was selected from a field of 55 candidates, grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Windsor, though his career has taken him to other locations such as Boston and the mid-West. He was one of five children and his parents were active in church, a place where Chambers said he gained many of his values, such as being honest, humble, and receptive to advice.
“I believe that working hard is something that everyone should do,” he said.
Board of Education President Sharon Beloin-Saavedra said that “there are a lot of great things happening at the high school,” but one of the pieces that is missing is someone who can “integrate” themselves in the community and work with families.
“I think Mr. Chambers is going to offer our families that type of leadership,” she said, noting that Chambers will be the first black person to lead New Britain High School. With the demographic shifts in the city, “kids will now see a role model in him,” she added.
Chambers said his number one goal is to increase the graduation rate to above 83 percent over the next several years, saying that such a change will be the “lynch pin” for other successes at the school. One way of doing that is to increase the “credit attainment rate,” or the amount of credits a student has before moving onto the next grade level, Chambers said.
“That has to be the driving force behind all that we do because New Britain High School is what the New Britain community has to offer to its community and to the world,” Chambers said. “And so what we deliver out there, we need to be able to stand behind it.” Chambers also laid out three expectations for students: arrive to school on time, go to class on time, and do their schoolwork.
He said staff need to look at what “engages” students so that they can help students make their “future aspirations comes alive,” but that “can’t be done when you don’t show up.” Chambers also talked about his “non-negotiables” for students.
“I expect a great culture and climate. I expect students to be respectful to others for their individual talents, for their individual differences. And I expect a safe, peaceful, and productive school environment,” Chambers said. “I want kids to dream about what they want to be, then we can make it happen.”
During the forum, Chambers laid out a multi-point entry plan about how he intends to lead the high school. If he is hired, his first goal will be to get to know the school community and learn about teachers and their “systems.” He said he would also work to link the school’s goals to those of the district. He said he would also strive to keep quality teachers in the school system, grow them, and bring others on board to “move it to the next level.”
Asked about how he would engage parents, Chambers joked that he is always calling up the print shop to have more business cards made as he constantly hands them out. To engage parents, one must be accessible and visible in the community and get out of the school and meet parents on their own turf, he said.
A leader must also be a great listener, he said.
As to increasing the achievement of students learning English as a second language, Chambers said students must first feel comfortable communicating with others and only then can more sophisticated levels of learning take place.
On the topic of improving student behavior, Chambers said he likes to “accentuate” the positives. “We can always find ways to punish but those kind of desist over time,” he said. “What we need to find is what engages students into the learning process,” and limit distractions, Chambers added.
One audience member asked Chambers what he thought are challenges in education today.
Chambers responded by saying “apathy, “societal issues” such as teenage pregnancy, and a “lack of seeing what’s out there beyond the walls of the school.” Prior to working at the Nursing and Health Sciences Academy, Chambers served as the principal of East Windsor High School, assistant principal and dean of students at Metropolitan Learning Center Inter-district Magnet School in Bloomfield, and dean of students at Centennial High School in Champaign, Ill.
He has been at the academy in Hartford since 2008. In his current position he prepares an annual budget, serves as an instructional leader, aides in curriculum implementation, and has a record of engaging students and parents, school officials said.
Chambers received a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, and has undertaken post-graduate work at Central Connecticut State University. While at Wake Forest, Chambers was a wide receiver on the school’s football team for several years until he underwent kneed surgery.
More than two dozen stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, administrators, business owners, representatives from area non-profits, school board members, two pastors, and a representative from the mayor’s office was on a committee that reviewed eight candidates who were drawn from the field of 55 applicants.
Officials handed out feedback forms at the session to gather feedback from the public. The superintendent will review the comments ahead of the school board’s meeting in April. Chambers would start on July 1 if the board gives its approval.
Cooper described the principal’s position at the high school as vital to the community.
“Without a doubt, the principal of our high school, this position, is probably one of the most critical, critical, jobs that we have in our school system and within our community,” Cooper said. “My neck is on the line too, when it comes down to who is selected here. Their success is my success, is our school’s success, is our student’s success. We’re all in this together.”
