By James Lomuscio

While having a school resource officer (SRO) has been Westport Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer’s high priority for months, it took on new urgency at tonight’s Board of Education due to the Florida school shootings.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas and other first responders meet tonight with Board of Education members. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

And as Palmer joined by Police Chief Foti Koskinas touted the need for a highly trained and armed SRO at Staples High School, members of the public urged the school board to act quickly to put SROs in all of the town’s eight schools.

“We have a superintendent who is proactive,” said Jeannie Smith, board vice chairwoman who ran the meeting in the absence of Michael Gordon, chairman.

Smith and Palmer began the meeting extending their thoughts and prayers to the children and families of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire with an AR-15 killing 17 students and injuring others on Feb. 14.

Westport Police and Fire Department representatives met tonight in executive session with the Board of Education to discuss school security. Later, they appeared in the board’s public session specifically to talk about adding a School Resource Officer (SRO) to the district. Pictured waiting for the start of the public meeting are (l-r) Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Capt. Dave Farrell, Capt. Ryan Paulsson, Deputy Chief Sam Arciola, and Deputy Fire Chief Mike Kronick (white shirt,) CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

UPDATE Westport Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer said tonight she was “saddened by the horrific events in Florida.”

Her tweet followed an email sent earlier in the day to parents on the school shooting in Parkland, Florida Wednesday that killed 17.

“How did our schools become the target of such violence?” Palmer asked in her tweet.

She added, “We must work together to end these attacks on our schools…and innocent students.”

By Jacquelin Rabe Thomas and Jake Kara

The large majority of public schools and school districts in the state earned worse grades this year than last on the state’s annual assessment of school performance, according to data released Friday by the State Department of Education.

The state’s zero-to-100 grading system takes into account more than a dozen measures, including standardized test scores and how many students are chronically absent, enroll in arts and Advanced Placement courses, graduate from high school and enroll in college within a year of graduation.

[Three of Westport’s eight schools showed improvement—Greens Farms, Saugatuck, and Kings Highway. Click HERE for details.]

Test scores, once the lone measure for grading schools and districts, still account for about 80 percent of the ratings for elementary and middle schools.

Three Westport schools showed year-to-year improvement in the state Department of Education’s data.  Details on the Westport schools’ performance can be seen HERE. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) CTMirror.org graphic

By Jarret Liotta

The needs, trials and success of the average Westport student were discussed today at the Board of Education’s brown bag lunch.

Superintendent Collen Palmer address today’s luncheon meeting as other board members listen. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

Close to 50 parents were in Town Hall Auditorium for a one-hour Q&A that included comments on the intrinsic pressures many midrange students face in a high-performance district.

“When a teacher tells me that in a high school for a 15-year old he is teaching a college-level course,” parent Peter Hein said, it’s a red flag.

“If you are giving this impression to students,” he said, noting a sometimes-pressurized climate for achievement at Staples, students in the middle will already feel insecure and at a disadvantage.

See top 20 education list HERE

School system administrators and principals made the top 20 list of Westport Public Schools employees for 2017, according to a list released today by Elio Longo, director of school business operations.

As expected, Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer took the top spot with a total salary including a $2,750 annuity of $291,312.50.

Longo came in second with an annual salary of $210,709.20.

Staples High School Principal James D’Amico ranked third with wages of $192,762.01, and Julie Droller, director of elementary education, was in fourth place with $192,762.01.