Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon addresses teachers during this morning’s Back to School Breakfast. School starts Sept. 5 across Westport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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The Westport School District welcomed back its teachers and staff today with the annual Back to School Breakfast.

New teachers were introduced in the crowded auditorium at Bedford Middle School and Jody Gross, a Coleytown Middle special education teacher, was honored for 25 years of service.

Additionally, the faculty met Fan Yan and Zhu Mei, two teachers visiting from China.

Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon remarked on how well teachers work together to move the district forward and how their work makes them role models for their students.

Fan Yan and Zhu Mei are visiting the Westport School District this year to teach, and they were introduced during this morning’s Back to School Breakfast for teachers. Yan is visiting from Westport’s sister city in China. Each year the school district hosts two teachers from China. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

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Westport’s teachers are back in the schools today, and this morning they met their colleagues who have been nominated for the 2007 Teacher of the Year honor.

Karen Emanuelson, Marissa DeVito Haddad, Kenneth C. Hine, Ursula Malizia, Nancy Pennell and Gregg Winters have been nominated for the honor. The winner will be honored during the Sept. 25 Board of Education meeting.

Emanuelson, an elementary math support teacher at King’s Highway Elementary, said her teaching career began when she was in sixth grade and she was asked to take over teaching a third-grade church school class.

It’s become harder to open the classroom door to other teachers, she said, and to find the keys to learning as the students get older.

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The Westport Board of Education is set to turn back $32,707 from its 2005-06 budget into the town’s General Fund despite high costs in fuel, electricity and special education.
Nancy Harris: turnback comes despite high costs. WN photo

Assistant Superintendent for Business Nancy Harris said during Monday’s school board meeting that the school district spent 99.7 percent of the $78.6 million 2005-06 budget.

The school board’s purchased property, which includes heating fuel and electricity, other purchased services, which includes special education costs, equipment, and other expenses accounts, were all over budget.

The board will need to vote to transfer surpluses from other accounts to cover the deficits but did not take action during its meeting Monday night.

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King’s Highway Elementary fifth grade parents are concerned about the sizes of their children’s classes this fall, and brought their issues to the Westport Board of Education tonight.

Two parents attended the meeting expressing concern that there will be three sections with 24 students each for the fifth grade rather than four sections.

Karen Fernandez, one of the parents, said having classes with 24 or 25 students—which is within the district’s class size guidelines—is not good for the students.

“We’re going to have a situation in the classrooms that is not ideal, and it’s not what Westport is known for,” she said.

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Ejay Clark (at July 13 hearing):Will teach in Norwalk. Emily Hamilton Laux/WN photoEjay Clark’s attorney today confirmed the former science teacher at Westport’s Bedford Middle School has secured employment with the Norwalk School District.

Lewis Brey, Clark’s attorney, also confirmed a report that Clark signed the deal before a hearing about his Westport employment in mid-July. On Thursday, however, Brey would not say if Clark had secured new employment (See WestportNow Aug. 3).

Clark had been sitting on the Norwalk job offer until the Westport hearing, Brey said, but felt he could not put off the deal any further.

Additionally, press reports before the hearing showed the Board of Education would not hire Clark back at the hearing, Brey said.

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Ejay Clark, a former science teacher at Westport’s Bedford Middle School, has been interviewing for a new teaching position, but it remains unclear if he has found a new job.

Lewis Brey, Clark’s attorney, said today his client has interviewed for a new position, but would not say if he has a new job.

“It’s Aug. 3, and he needs to secure employment elsewhere,” he said. “He has a family to take care of.”

Clark resigned from his position in March—which was effective at the end of the school year—when he was told he would not receive tenure after two years with the district. Parents and Clark have been battling for his job, but Westport school officials have ruled there is no avenue for Clark to appeal for his job.