Huntington district outlines plan to reconfigure intermediate schools, seeks community feedback

Superintendent McCoy and district administrators presented a proposed restructuring of Huntington’s intermediate grades on June 2, asking the community for feedback before the district considers adoption and a potential phased rollout beginning in the 2026–27 school year.

The proposal would realign enrollment by location so that Flower Hill and Washington students would attend Jack Abrams (Findlay feeder pattern historically referenced) and Southdown and Jefferson students would attend Woodhull; siblings in current intermediate buildings would be grandfathered. District leaders said the change would expand dual-language offerings at both intermediate sites, provide weekly innovation-lab and learners-who-lead instruction for all fifth- and sixth-grade students, and establish an enrichment program for all third- and fourth-grade students.

Administrators said the plan grew in part from a state requirement to offer bilingual programming in both intermediate buildings and from local concerns about uneven curricula and the early grade choices families must make. District staff emphasized equity goals: aligning science and social-studies curricula across buildings, offering world-language exposure and FIRST Lego League instruction in both locations, and reducing disparities in enrichment and STEM access.

School leaders outlined logistics, staffing and budget implications. If adopted, the district would begin by offering two dual-language sections at each intermediate building in the 2026–27 school year, with additional bilingual teacher hires as needed in subsequent years. The district may move some current staff between schools to maintain continuity and minimize layoffs; administrators said retirement-driven openings would be used where possible. Transportation changes could reduce early-morning runs: administrators noted potential savings from consolidating routing, and said the district currently operates a fleet of eight buses that would be reallocated under the new model.

Instructional details include moving the FLACS A assessment to seventh grade and FLACS B to eighth grade for dual-language students, and increasing Spanish-language instruction in sixth grade from one to two class sections so that science and social studies could be taught in Spanish for dual-language students. Music instruction and exploratory courses are being reviewed with the aim of embedding instruction during the school day to reduce early start times. The district would expand extracurricular offerings (Math Olympiads, FIRST Lego League competition teams) and said learners-who-lead and innovation-lab experiences would occur once per week for fifth- and sixth-graders.

Superintendent McCoy and Deputy Superintendent Cusack said the district will collect community input through a Google form, which they planned to release the week after the meeting, and will hold a community forum on June 17 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. They described a multi-step timeline: collect feedback, review it over the summer, adjust the plan as needed, begin curriculum alignment and planning in fall 2025, and continue review in the 2026–27 school year if the board adopts the plan.

Board members praised the planning and asked operational questions about class sizes, selection processes for competitive teams, and how enrichment content from current programs (for example, SEARCH) would be adapted for younger grades. Administrators said placement and selection processes would mirror current models where appropriate; for example, they described replicating STEM’s existing selection process for FIRST Lego League competition teams and said Math Olympiads would be a qualifying club at both intermediate schools.

The presentation concluded with a request for “honest and complete” community feedback and a reminder that any adoption would require further board action and curriculum approvals before instruction changed.