To the Editor,
As a member of the Derby community, I am disappointed in the recent, public disrespect of our School District. The comments are baseless and an excuse to underfund our school district, AGAIN!
Our children have not only survived but thrived in school through a Global pandemic. While other districts were forced to homeschool, Derby was one of very few districts to remain in the classroom throughout the pandemic. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our school employees and congratulate our kids on their great progress and all of their hard work through the pandemic and beyond.
Here are some FACTS…
Of the 16 schools across the state in the Commissioner’s Network of schools, Derby Middle School students had the highest achievement in English Language Arts and Mathematics scores. DMS also had the highest English Language Arts year over year growth from 2018 – 2019 to 2021 – 2022 with a 5.5 point gain.
Of the 162 districts statewide, Derby was one of only 22 districts that saw their SAT score rise in ELA and one of only 28 districts who saw their SAT scores rise in Math and 1 of only 15 districts who saw their scores rise in both ELA and Math.
Derby was one of two of the 36 Alliance Districts who saw their scores rise in both ELA and Math.
Bradley School was one of 100 schools statewide who earned the “School of Distinction” recognition for their high academic growth. Bradley was recognized for its high academic growth in ELA for high needs students earning 76.9% of the growth target compared to a state-level average of 56.2%.
Derby Schools are exceeding state-level growth numbers in the areas of ELA and Math for all students, including individuals with high needs.
37 DHS Seniors have already been accepted into a program for the fall and 37 more are finalizing their plans.
Derby school district completed the NEASC Decennial Accreditation in March 2022. In November 2023 we received a recommendation to grant our school continued accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Commission was impressed with the progress made on the Priority Areas for Growth and increased alignment with the Principles of Effective Practice as well as the completed portrait of the graduate. This is just one of many progress areas highlighted in the report.
The school district recently completed a survey of our students and parents and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Our Pre‑k program created under the Conway administration is fully funded by state and federal grants allowing 60 children to attend preschool in town.
3 Derby High School students are US Presidential Scholar Candidates
251 students at DMS and DHS participate in athletics.
We have 41 student athletes in our Unified Sports program and 78 students in our Best Buddies program.
Derby Schools offer After School Programs with 265 students participating.
Our District built its own Special Education program to keep students in the district, saving the city approximately $4 mil/year.
I could go on…
So in spite of the fact that our schools have been grossly underfunded, for many years, our District has creatively ensured our kids have the opportunity to succeed. Our schools aren’t failing, our city leadership is failing to make our kids a priority.
Respectfully,
Melissa Mongillo
The writer is a member of the Derby Board of Education.
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