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District outlines summer curriculum work, hires and special‑education staffing pressures
Summary
Administrators described summer curriculum institutes that revised units (including CTE coursework), work on social‑emotional learning and complex thinking strategies, new hires and continuing special‑education staffing shortages.
Marlene (curriculum administration) and Dr. Solon updated the Board of Education on Sept. 4 about summer curriculum work, professional learning and new hires that prepared staff for the 2025–26 school year. Marlene said teachers from pre‑K through grade 12 participated in a curriculum writing institute that revised units for Career and Technical Education courses, including principles of engineering, residential construction and patisserie. She said some work was funded through Perkins and Title IV grants and that teacher committees spent substantial time on data analysis and school improvement planning. Marlene described the district’s “theory of action” for social‑emotional learning (SEL) and complex thinking: embed SEL into instruction, monitor student progress and align curriculum, assessment and professional development to develop higher‑order reasoning. The district also highlighted recent assessment results: Cheshire placed in the top tiers statewide on several Smarter Balanced and SAT indicators and reported improved performance indicators year‑over‑year. On staffing, Emily Taylor reported the district “onboarded about 45 new staff” across certified and non‑certified roles and moved open‑enrollment benefits to an online platform. Administrators said they filled many positions but still face acute shortages in special education and had to “beat the bushes” to recruit intensive special‑education teachers; the district reported a statewide shortage and said it had emailed certified special‑education teachers across Connecticut. Board members asked about vacancies and lab facilities for science; administrators said AP courses include lab time but not all general science classes have dedicated lab rooms. The district described a new district literacy coach hire and other internal promotions; officials said they would continue active recruitment for remaining openings and will monitor class sizes (several kindergarten classes at Doolittle exceeded early projections and the district is watching enrollment closely).
