Fairfield City Schools stagger its start for the new school year

“We did this to provide a more seamless start to the school year and allow time for questions and troubleshooting in smaller numbers,” she said.

The staggered start is something the school district implemented for the first time this year, said Fairfield Superintendent Billy Smith, and “we have received a lot of positive feedback.”

Credit: Provided

Credit: Provided

“It certainly allows for a smoother transition back to school for all of our students, but is especially helpful for our younger students,” he said. “Our elementary staff members were especially appreciative during lunch and at dismissal. Aside from those pieces, the smaller class size provides some time for our staff members to truly get to know their students.”

Fairfield City Schools starts the 2023-2024 school year with just under 9,900 students from kindergarten to high school seniors. And this year, for the first time since the start of the 2019-2020 school year, they held in-person open house sessions. Gentry-Fletcher said, “Parents seemed to enjoy meeting with teachers face-to-face and being able to walk their child’s school schedule.”

Smith said staff and teachers were excited to welcome students back into the buildings as “our buildings truly come back to life when the kids come back, and there is nothing like seeing all of their smiling faces back in our buildings.”

Besides the staggered start being new, the district received a $50,000 Fairfield Community Foundation’s Grant Fund to purchase five facility dogs for the schools.

“We are a ways off from having the dogs, as they must be trained as part of the process,” said Gentry-Fletcher.

Credit: Provided

Credit: Provided

Entering the new school year, a top concern for Fairfield will be, as it has typically been, related to finances.

“As a district, we have always been proud of the fact that we work really hard to provide an outstanding educational experience for our students while being fiscally responsible,” he said.

Smith said because the district is expected to be considering an operating levy in the near future, they have been “very strategic” in finding ways to cut costs while minimizing the impact on students.

“We will continue to strive to maintain that balance ― providing the best experience that we can for each student while being fiscally responsible,” he said.

New Fairfield Schools faces

There are several new administrators within the Fairfield City School District, and are: