Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti presented the year two update of Newtown Public Schools’ 2025-28 Operational Strategic Goals to the Board of Education (BOE) at its Tuesday, September 15 meeting.

These goals, presented to the BOE last year, grew out of the district's strategic planning work completed in 2023 and span 2025-2028. While Uberti is involved in the development and oversight of all district goals, she primarily oversees the operational areas, while Assistant Superintendent of Schools Frank Purcaro primarily oversees curriculum and instruction.

Uberti said the plan is organized around five overarching goals: 1) Curriculum and Instruction, 2) Facilities and Security, 3) Business and Finance, 4) Human Resources (HR) and Hiring, and 5) Family and Community Relations.

Her presentation at the September 15 meeting focused on year two of the district's operational work, and fell primarily within Facilities and Security, Business and Finance, and HR and Hiring.

Uberti noted that the district's overarching goals and strategies have not changed, and still provide the framework and direction for their work through 2028.

"What does change and evolve are the strategic actions and action steps underneath them as work is completed, priorities advance, and new needs emerge," Uberti said.

As such, she said they may adjust timelines and wording, carry something forward, or add a new section when a need emerges.

Goal Two

Uberti said goal two focuses on Facilities and Security, and ensures that their schools are safe, secure, and equipped with the facilities, infrastructure, and technology necessary to support student learning, staff effectiveness, and community engagement.

Their year two work, she said, is organized around three strategies, beginning with safety and security. Under the district's new director of security, Jeremy Dexter, they will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their safety and security program, including staffing and deployment, technology, training, practices, and resources.

Uberti said Dexter will look at what is working, where there may be gaps, and whether their resources are being directed where they can have the greatest impact.

The next area of focus is on consistency and preparedness across all Newtown Public Schools. Uberti said they want to make sure their protocols are not simply documented, but also clearly understood and practiced consistently.

To that end, she said Dexter will assess training needs, establish a formal building-by-building review process, and begin scenario-based walkthroughs and talk-throughs with district administrators.

Uberti noted a strategic action added for year two: the weapons detection system at Newtown High School. She said it was not part of their original one-year action plan, but both the need and opportunity emerged during this past year.

Dexter will support the procedures, staffing, training, communication, and coordination necessary for the system's implementation, according to Uberti. In addition, she said the district will gather data and feedback on the system's effectiveness, operational challenges, and impact on the school so they can ultimately make a thoughtful, data-informed recommendation about its future use.

For facilities, Uberti said they will continue to refine the multi-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and manage this year's approved projects through to completion. An important consideration, she said, is the potential impact of the proposed new middle school on future capital investments at the existing Newtown Middle School.

Uberti noted they are also completing the new district meeting and training space at Newtown High School; she said it is expected to be "ready to go" this year, but there are still some things that need to be in place before it is fully functional.

Their technology work falls into three interconnected areas: classroom technology, cybersecurity, and the network infrastructure that supports both.

When it comes to the classroom side, Uberti said they will establish a baseline for the technology teachers should be able to expect in every classroom and develop a phased replacement plan based on need, condition, instructional impact, and available resources.

She added that they have intentionally stepped back from setting new goals around student devices while a district committee looks more broadly at screen time and appropriate technology.

Uberti said the district will address identified vulnerabilities for cybersecurity. To that end, they will formally adopt a cybersecurity framework, and evaluate a more automated monitoring and response system and update their disaster recovery framework.

The third technology area is the infrastructure supporting all of that work, specifically their network and Wi-Fi, according to Uberti. She said they are using performance data and a risk map to identify the areas experiencing the greatest connectivity issues or highest demand and prioritizing those areas for upgrades first. After installation, the district will assess coverage, capacity, and reliability to make needed improvements.

Goal Three

When it comes to Business and Finance, Uberti said the district's overarching goals remain fiscal responsibility, transparency, and the strategic allocation of resources to maximize student outcomes and support long-term district sustainability.

More specifically, she noted their work continues under two strategies. The first is strengthening and modernizing the budget process already in place.

Uberti said they will continue clearly distinguishing the cost of maintaining current services from new investments and add periodic budget review meetings with cost center leaders so monitoring occurs more regularly throughout the year.

An area they did not complete last year was a concise public-facing budget resource, according to Uberti.

She added, "That remains a priority for year two so that our community can easily understand our major budget drivers, priorities, and significant year-to-year changes."

Uberti said their second strategy moves from the budget itself to the efficiency and continuity of their internal business operations — a significant part of this work intersecting with HR.

As they implement new systems, Uberti said they will look for opportunities to streamline spreadsheets and other tracking processes. She added that they will strengthen continuity within the business office through cross-training and better documentation of key procedures; this way, critical functions are not dependent on the knowledge of any one individual.

Transportation is another significant area of focus this year, according to Uberti. The district's transportation contract with All-Star Transportation is set to end on June 30, 2027. As such, Uberti said the district will undertake a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process, with the goal of having a new contract in place for the 2027-28 school year.

Goal Four

Uberti said the district's goal for HR and Hiring is to attract, recruit, develop, and retain a high-quality, diverse, and passionate workforce dedicated to student success.

To achieve greater consistency and clarity in the district's hiring practices, Uberti said they will continue standardizing job descriptions — something they started to do this year — and establish a consistent process for new employees to receive and review their job descriptions.

The district also began a hiring handbook, but Uberti noted it "kind of got put aside." She said she would like to see the hiring handbook brought to fruition this year, and for the district to employ the greater use of AppliTrack, a recruiting and hiring software.

She continued by saying the district remains committed to increasing educator diversity. The district established the "Grow Your Own Pipeline" within the past year, a plan to develop the educator workforce. With the pipeline in place, Uberti said they will continue developing that pathway, strengthen recruitment efforts, and use hiring data to assess their progress and identify next steps.

Uberti said the district will also focus on modernizing human resources operations and improving coordination between the district's HR and the Business and Finance department.

Last year, Uberti said they examined where processes overlap and where work or information is duplicated between the two departments.

"This year, we will put those recommendations into practice, train staff on revised workflows, and evaluate whether those changes are improving efficiency and accuracy," Uberti explained.

One of the most significant improvements coming out of that work, she said, is the implementation of a centralized, automated employee onboarding system. She explained that the goal is to reduce manual processes and duplication of data entry, which will ultimately provide a more consistent experience for new employees and free staff time for other critical work.

They will complete the rollout this year by digitizing forms, automating workflows, and training the staff and supervisors who will use the system, according to Uberti.

Much of what Uberti discussed may come up again during the budget process, as she said they are developing their budgets to connect back to these goals.

Uberti told BOE members that, on their end, they will report back as to the status of the goals individually reported at the September 15 meeting.

At the BOE's October 6 meeting, Uberti said they will shift their focus to the instructional side of the Strategic Goals, beginning with an overview of the district goals followed by presentations from the district's instructional leaders at subsequent meetings.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.