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Superintendent: Khan Academy SAT prep, Hazel Health virtual care and proposed facility renovations move forward
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Monaco updated the committee on academic supports, student telehealth plans with Hazel Health (no cost to families), renovation planning for ADA and culinary upgrades, and progress toward Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways at Smithfield High School.
Superintendent Dr. Monaco and district staff briefed the committee on a package of academic-support and facilities initiatives during the Jan. 16 meeting.
Dr. Monaco said the district will offer Khan Academy SAT preparation to high school students through a free, on-demand RIDE-sponsored program once students are rostered. She also said the district is moving forward with a contract review to bring Hazel Health, a virtual student-health service, to Smithfield; the service would be available only with parental consent and is stated to have no cost to the district or families. Dr. Monaco said Hazel Health provides licensed Rhode Island clinicians and multilingual providers during 45-minute intake and session blocks.
On facilities, the superintendent said maintenance completed paint and ceiling-tile refreshes in 14 classrooms at the high school and that the district is out to bid for an architect to design renovation work aimed at relocating intensive special-education classrooms and upgrading the culinary room. The culinary renovations will include removing asbestos tile if present, replacing flooring and adjusting pitch for drains; the work is on a tight timeline and the district hopes to begin in summer.
Dr. Monaco said the district contracted Colliers as project manager to prepare a five- to 10-year plan focused on the middle and high schools and to develop emergency health-and-safety projects. She said 12 architecture firms attended a walk-through and an evaluation and scoring process will follow; she expects to return to the committee in February with a recommendation for architect selection and a request for town council approval as required.
The superintendent also noted Smithfield High School received a 4 out of 5 accountability rating and cited a 95.2% on-time graduation rate. She said 12% of high-school students exceeded expectations on the English Language Arts SAT over two years per RIDE data.
Separately, district staff presented an overview of professional learning (PD) for teachers'including a district professional-development committee, PD funding sources and examples of curriculum-internalization and coaching cycles'and said the district is continuing to invest in job-embedded coaching for instruction.
More information and specific contracts will return to the committee when attorney review and contract details are complete.
