Maria Worthing, chair of the Title I Parent Advisory Committee, told the board that the committee’s 2024–25 charge — championing literacy in Title I schools — produced recommendations to keep a rigorous focus on closing reading achievement gaps and to strengthen family engagement and staffing in the county’s Title I schools.

“Title I provides targeted funding to make more equitable opportunities available to schools serving our most highest populations of disadvantaged students,” Worthing said in the presentation.

Why it matters: The committee reviewed newly available diagnostic data the division now collects (including new K–2 benchmarks and iRead/IRI‑type measures) and said gaps remain large for historically underserved subgroups, particularly students identified for special education and Hispanic students. The committee said those gaps tend to widen in higher grades and recommended sustaining targeted supports into summer and break programs so students do not lose ground between years.

The committee’s top recommendations were: require science‑of‑reading professional development across all instructional staff in Title I schools (not only literacy specialists) plus embedded coaching to ensure fidelity; make supplemental literacy tools such as ECRI and Benchmark Express broadly available in Title I schools and prioritize their faithful implementation; expand out‑of‑school learning opportunities (tutoring, summer programs) and prioritize the highest‑need students for those programs.

Worthing and Vice Chair Jessica Estrelas also urged improvements in family engagement and communications: expand family‑facing literacy events, use Title I funds to support childcare/transportation for family learning nights, and standardize parent communications so families can interpret assessment reports and learn what supports are available. The committee recommended stronger school‑level partnerships with family liaisons and filling full‑time family‑liaison positions in Title I schools.

Staff liaison Courtney White reviewed that Title I funds this year supported training, expanded multilingual‑learner materials and added Aspire kits for students with disabilities. Committee members urged continuing to direct supplemental Title I dollars to staffing and interventions most closely tied to accelerating reading gains.

Next steps: TPAC asked the board to endorse the recommendations, to encourage staff to prioritize fidelity of implementation and to provide clear communications to families about Title I resources, screenings and services.