Norwich - Norwich Free Academy remains steeped in history and tradition, but leaders pledged Thursday to the institution's Board of Corporators, NFA Foundation members and the Board of Trustees to move forward with "agility" and adjustments to the ever-changing world of high school education.

"Today, students and families have more options than ever before," Head of School David Klein said of the increasing number of different themed high schools in the region. The little town of Voluntown alone has seven different high school options.

Several years ago, NFA faced a crisis of declining high school enrollment caused by a drop in high school-age students and the increase in choices. The academy responded by boosting its marketing efforts, with high-tech outreach to towns, adding staff to the marketing department and promoting the many academic, cultural and athletic options at the school.

Results showed quickly; NFA's current enrollment is 2,321 - up by 312 students from the dire projection a few years ago that, by this year, enrollment would be close to dipping below the 2,000 mark.

"That 312 students equates to $3.6 million," Klein said. Without those numbers, NFA would have faced reducing the 275 course offerings and perhaps some programs.

The marketing efforts continue, with a video featuring parents discussing their decision to choose NFA, and visits to the eight traditional so-called partner towns - that have NFA as their designated high school - and other neighboring towns. Klein said the NFA outreach team has visited Canterbury and Bozrah in the past two weeks and will go next to Brooklyn.

Outreach also is going beyond the student population, with new efforts to reconnect with NFA's far-flung alumni in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and Florida. Klein said meetings have been held in each of those cities, and he hopes to make them annual events.

NFA Board of Trustees Chairman Theodore Phillips also updated the meeting participants on the ongoing contract negotiations with the current eight partner towns. NFA officials submitted a draft contract to the towns in May and asked for input by July 15. Phillips said he had a lengthy phone conversation with Lisbon Board of Education Chairman Randy Baah, the designated spokesman for the partner towns, and met with him in person for two hours.

Phillips will meet with Baah again soon to discuss possible consensus the towns have on proposed contract measures they accept and items they wish to change. The towns will have the choice of starting the new unified contract on July 1, 2015, or on July 1, 2016.

He said one change NFA proposed in the contract calls for taking two enrollment censuses each school year in October and February, rather than the current one October count. That would allow flexibility in billing as students move in and out of the district or transfer from one NFA program to another - such as special education or the transitional high school program, both of which have higher tuitions than regular education.

"The wonderful educational experience that NFA offers," Phillips said, "is only due to the dedication of our administration, faculty and staff, the generosity of donors like you and the independent governance that is free of the political whims of the day. I can assure you that we will always maintain that independence."

During the business meetings that accompanied the annual meeting, six new corporators were elected: Michael Aliano, Katherine Andruskiewicz, David Doyle, Lindsey Mathieu, Lamar Mikel and William Warzecha.

The Board of Trustees also re-elected its entire slate of officers: Phillips, chairman; Sarette Williams, vice chairman; Thomas Griffin, secretary, and Lee Ann Gomes, treasurer.

c.bessette@theday.com

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