Middletown committee outlines timeline, budget constraints and outreach steps for parent requests to add AP courses

MIDDLETOWN, June 5 — The Middletown School District Curriculum Committee discussed parent requests to add three AP-level courses — AP Precalculus, Calculus BC and Physics C — and outlined district timelines and budget constraints that affect whether new AP offerings can begin in the next school year.

Board member Liz Crooks and other committee members said a parent group raised the issue in April and asked the district to assess student interest. Meg Hanley, interim assistant principal and interim preK–12 STEAM director, described the district’s multi-month timeline for adding new courses: planning begins the summer before the intended fall start, the curriculum committee must review changes before the December Board of Education meeting, and students typically register in January or February for the following school year. “We gotta make sure that the curriculum committee meeting before we get approved. And then at the next board of ed meeting, we get that final approval to then adjust our course catalog,” Hanley said.

Budget and logistics cited as constraints Scott Peasley, STEAM department head, said budget and procurement timelines already affected an AP course the district is offering next year. “The budget has closed. So… I had to requisition funding for training my teacher about two months ago in order to get that money set aside for this summer,” Peasley said, describing the practical lead time required for teacher training, certification and safety reviews for lab classes.

Board members asked staff to check student interest using PowerSchool and to hold broader outreach. Liz Crooks urged a one-click query of students currently signed up for precalculus so the district could determine demand for AP Precalculus. Hanley and other staff agreed a parent workshop or a fall outreach event would be an appropriate next step to gather broader feedback rather than targeting a small group of students.

Why it matters: Parents and board members said some families leave the district citing insufficient higher-level offerings for top-performing students; adding AP sections could address that concern but requires advance planning and funds.

Key discussion points and next steps - Parent request history: Board members said parent groups raised the AP course requests in April; staff said meetings planned in spring were delayed by district events. - Timeline: New courses need lead time (summer planning, department feedback, December Board approval, student registration in January–February) and cannot typically be added at the last minute for the upcoming school year. - Budget example: Peasley cited AP Environmental Science as an example where teacher training and budget requisition occurred months earlier to secure summer training funds. - Outreach: Committee agreed to reschedule a meeting with parent groups, plan a parent workshop on math programming, and to update the online program of studies to the 2025–26 edition so families can see options earlier.

Formal actions: No motion or vote was taken to add courses at the meeting. Staff and committee members agreed to follow up with a parent workshop, run student-interest queries through PowerSchool, and return with recommendations in time for the district’s curriculum and catalog timeline.

Next steps: Staff will coordinate a parent workshop, update the program of studies on the district website to 2025–26, and provide more detailed enrollment and staffing information for committee review during the regular approval timeline.