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Brian White: When School is Never Over

Most adults in the United States have one cell phone; Brian White has two, one for school business and one for personal calls. And there is a lot of school business because Brian is the superintendent of schools of Regional District 4, comprising Essex, Deep River, and Chester. He lined up both phones in front of him at a recent interview with a reporter.

Brian, whom the Board of Education selected to replace retiring superintendent Ruth Levy in 2019, found himself leading the district as it faced an unpredicted challenge: the COVID pandemic.

“I was very excited to join the system; I could not have foreseen what would happen,” he says. “It has been a very challenging year to say the least.”

Pandemic restrictions limited occasions to meet and connect with more people.

“I am people-oriented and I missed not having those opportunities; I know the importance of community,” he says.

Still, he says he is grateful for the support he has received from people in all three communities.

“That made a positive difference for the schools to move forward,” he adds.

After a complete shutdown of all schools in the spring of 2019 and a hybrid schedule at the beginning of 2020, schools returned to full attendance, though the option for remote learning remained. This year, all Regional District 4 schools are open and there is no provision for remote learning. Masks are required and an executive order by Governor Ned Lamont requires school workers, all teachers and support personnel, to be vaccinated or to be tested weekly.

“It has been a very challenging year to say the least,” said Lon Seidman, chairman of the Essex Board of Education. “The credit goes to the leadership of our administrators, teachers, and staff who understood how important it was to the community for our schools to be open. They worked tirelessly to get our kids back and learning in their classrooms.”

According to Brian, the district is following CDC and state guidelines in matters like cleaning, distancing and quarantining. He does not think there have been markedly more COVID cases this year than the system experienced last year.

Brian says that despite remote and hybrid learning over the past two years, the Regional 4 schools have not seen the learning loss that has been reported in some school systems.

“Through creativity and dedication, the evidence is our kids are where they should be, in large part prepared to take on grade level learning, but we are ready to give extra help if it is needed,” he says.

Nonetheless, he says the pandemic and the adaptations it made necessary have produced added amounts of stress, not only for students, but also for school personnel.

“We’ve worked closely with building principals and in making decisions considered everyone,” he says. “We assessed work load, tried to lessen the load of meetings. We wanted an opportunity to give back some happy time [to teachers.]”

Brian says that while nationwide there are reports shortages because of teachers who have left the profession, that’s not a problem here. But there is a shortage in Regional District 4 of the paraprofessionals who provide classroom assistance.

“There are a number of paraprofessional slots we need to fill,” Brian says.

As schools nationally have become an increasing focus of controversy over questions of equal treatment of all students, Brian says that a committee of parents and staff has been formed to examine issues of equality and diversity in the Region 4 system.

“We want to have success with all demographics,” he says.

Looking at other issues in Regional District 4, Brian says the athletic fields, particularly a John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School, are in need of repair and rehabilitation, and the situation is now being addressed. Currently, a full schedule of fall athletics is underway.

Brian, who grew up in Wallingford, was the first member of his family to attend college. He started at Southern Connecticut State University but graduated from the University of Connecticut with a major in social studies. Someone suggested teaching as a profession.

“I gave it a shot and I loved it,” he says.

He started in Windsor as a 7th grade social studies teacher, and subsequently went back to school for an administrative degree.

“I wanted to learn about school leadership,” he explains. “I like the nexus of schools, boards, parents, and community.”

Before coming to Regional District 4, he had served as both a principal in in Simsbury, an assistant principal in East Hartford and as an associate superintendent in Stamford.

“I’ve worked in various systems so I have a broad perspective—a diverse, affluent city system, regional systems. I’ve had an opportunity to get different perspectives and apply lessons I’ve learned,” he says.

Seidman said Brian’s varied experience was important to the selection committee looking for a new superintendent.

“Our school system has a complex governance structure that has the superintendent answering to five boards of education versus a single board as most towns have,” Seidman said. “What made Brian attractive to the search committee was his understanding of that structure, his interest and experience in managing complex operational challenges and his thoughtful, process-oriented approach to solving the problems facing our schools.”

Brian’s wife is also a teacher in West Hartford and the couple has a 9-year-old son. Family time, he says, takes up his weekend.

“I have a long work week,” he says. “The goal is to keep life in balance.”

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Essex Board of Educattion Chair Lon Seidman as chair of the Regional District 4 Board of Education.