Superintendent - Letter to Community
Dear Barker Learning Community,
Welcome back to the 2026-2027 school year at Barker Central School. I hope everyone had a fun, safe summer and enjoyed doing whatever makes you happy. I am honored to serve as the Interim Superintendent of Barker while the search process continues for the next educational leader for our District. I will also continue to serve in my current role as Coordinator of Curriculum and Professional Learning.
Over the past few years, our students at Barker have thrived in their academic achievements. Proficiency rates on Regents exams at the secondary level hover around the 95-100% range with mastery rates (earning a score of 85 or higher on the exam) in the 25-55% range. It is numbers like these that have helped Barker rank high in comparison to other schools in Niagara and Orleans counties. Our graduation rate has also remained consistently strong, with 35% of the Class of 2026 earning a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. 7 of our recent graduates earned the Seal of Biliteracy, while 9 graduates earned the Seal of Civic Readiness. These designations from New York State highlight the individualized opportunities that Barker can provide to its students.
We have hired several new teachers for the upcoming year and provided a two-day orientation for them in August. In terms of professional development for the upcoming year, some areas of focus are on the science of reading/literacy at the elementary level, as well as preparing to implement new practices that reflect the changes that NYS is making to graduation requirements over the next several years, including financial literacy for students at the secondary level.
The next round of capital work on our campus has also begun. Renovations to the 1911 portion of the campus are nearly complete with the second-floor classrooms being nearly finished. Work has also begun in Pratt Elementary School with the kindergarten classrooms the first to be redone. Once work is complete in that wing, other portions of Pratt Elementary will be renovated over the next 2 years. We thank you for your support in providing our students with these updated learning spaces.
As we finalize our preparations for the upcoming school year, Barker remains committed to the following goals:
- Increase student engagement in the learning process
- To improve literacy for all learners to be prepared for the 21st century
- Improve instructional outcomes for all students.
Thank you for your continued support of Barker Central School District. Our students, faculty, and staff can’t thank you enough!
If you have any questions regarding your child’s educational program, or the instructional program of our school, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can email me at ccornwell@barkercsd.net, or reach me by phone at 716-795-3388.
Yours in education,
Christian Cornwell
Interim Superintendent
Coordinator of Curriculum & Professional Learning/AP
716-795-3388
EMAIL CHRISTIAN CORNWELL