Students head back to school Monday in the second largest public school system in New England.
Most public school systems in Massachusetts have seen enrollment go down in recent years, but in Springfield the number of public school students has held steady at about 26,000, according to Superintendent of Schools Dan Warwick. Ninety percent of the students are from families that live in poverty.
" It poses many challenges, and the message to the staff today is that despite all of the challenges last year we had gains in every academic area," Warwick said Friday at a convocation to welcome faculty and staff to a new school year.
The middle schools in Springfield have been reorganized this year to reduce class sizes and are being supervised by a board appointed by state and local education officials chaired by an education consultant.
