Westport’s Staples High School came in No. 7 in Connecticut in the latest U.S. News and World Report best high school rankings. Nationally it was No. 329.

A year ago in the survey, Staples was No. 9 in the state and No. 303 nationally.

Staples this year came in behind Weston at No. 5 but ahead of Fairfield County schools Darien (8)  Wilton (9), and Ridgefield (11).

The Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy of East Hartford was rated No. 1 in Connecticut and No. 34 nationally.

Following the announcement that Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon will retire at the end of the 2015-16 academic year, the Westport Board of Education is looking for a successor.

It announced it will “engage a search firm with a national scope that has worked with high performing districts such as ours.”

“Now, for the first time in 17 years, the Westport Board of Education will commence a search for a new superintendent who will begin serving upon Dr. Landon’s retirement,” Michael Gordon, school board chairman, said in a letter signed by six other board members.

“The board is prepared for a thoughtful and thorough search process.”

Westporter Michael Gordon’s New York City-based public relations firm, Group Gordon, was selected for the second year in row Tuesday night as “Best Agency to Work For” by the Holmes Report, a benchmark of PR firm culture and workplace performance. The firm run by Gordon, who is chairman of Westport’s Board of Education, has 20 employees. They celebrated outside the awards venue afterward. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

By James Lomuscio

Velma Heller, a former educator, school booster, and deputy moderator of Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM), tonight made a motion, uttering words she never believed she would say—to reduce the finance board approved 2015-16 school operating budget by $300,000.

The reason: the school board had requested it, showing due diligence as it presented a leaner $111,171,756 operating budget hammered out at the Board of Education’s Monday night meeting. At that meeting, school officials found reductions in special educations costs for out-of-district placements

The end result was a school board slam dunk as the RTM unanimously approved the modified operating budget—a 1.8 percent increase over the current year and the lowest increase in five years—making next year’s total education budget $123,582,074, including the school system’s debt service and aid to private and parochial schools.

The RTM then unanimously passed the whole town budget—including the a $78.9 million municipal budget approved Monday night—of $202,505,295.

The U.S. Department of Education has named Westport’s Greens Farms Academy (GFA) a national Green Ribbon School.

The announcement was made Wednesday, Earth Day by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The award, given annually by the U.S. Department of Education, acknowledges schools that are leading the way in sustainable practices.

The awarding committee looks for schools that are reducing their environmental impact and costs; improving the school’s health and wellness; and are providing an environmental education.

Among the many sustainable practices in place at GFA are composting in the cafeteria (which students then use in the school’s organic garden); using of solar panels; and hosting a variety of “eco events” both within the school and the community.

The 2015-16 Westport public school kindergarten registrations are under way.

The district asked families moving to Westport for the new school year and parents of entering kindergartners to register their children at this time. 

“Please don’t wait until the last minute,” said Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon. “Let us know now that you are here so we may plan for the optimal education for your youngsters.”

Those who are not sure of their district elementary school can find the information on the school district website, www.westport.k12.ct.us or they may call the superintendent’s office, 203-341-1026. 

A Westport student at MIT, Alex Siegenfeld, was among 12 persons announced Tuesday as recipients of the prestigious Hertz Fellowship worth $250,000 from the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation.

Alex Siegenfeld: studying physics. Contributed photo

Each fellowship consists of up to five years of financial, mentoring and community support as well as research freedom at a participating U.S. graduate institution.

Siegenfeld attended the Pierrepont School in Westport where he finished second as a middle schooler in a statewide math competition. He then went on to the Hopkins School in New Haven where he won a gold medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad in Tokyo. (See WestportNow Aug. 2, 2010)

The announcement said at MIT he is “interested in combining chemical intuition with mathematical rigor to further the understanding of materials with exotic and useful properties.”