Principals report enrollment rises, behavior and staffing pressures alongside new programs and community engagement

Several Lewiston principals gave brief updates on school enrollment, programs and challenges during the committee’s presentations.

Farwell Elementary: Andrew Bard, principal at Farwell Elementary School, said the school serves about 411 students and 103 staff, including 97 special‑education students and 44 multilingual learners. Bard highlighted a refreshed school vision — “Farwell Bobcats pounce into the future” — and said the school’s reading recovery program and third year of social‑emotional‑learning (SEL) work are bright spots. He said chronic absenteeism and behavior remain concerns and that specialized staffing shortages limit growth in special‑purpose programs.

Geiger Elementary: Cindy Gish, principal at Geiger Elementary School, reported enrollment of 574 students (an increase of about 40) with 78 multilingual learners and 23 special‑education students. Gish described community partnerships (FoodCorps, LA Arts), a 30‑tree orchard, and co‑teaching and learning‑lab initiatives. She said challenges include filling special‑purpose positions (BCBA, special‑ed clinicians on leave) and maintaining interventionist capacity under uncertain Title I funding.

Connors Elementary: Christopher Rodriguez, principal at Connors Elementary School, described a large and rapidly changing enrollment (744 students) with substantial multilingual caseloads (396 ML students, 132 newcomers). He stressed community‑building efforts, MTSS/RTI supports, and progress on attendance (improving from 84% in 2021 to about 93% year‑to‑date). Rodriguez said staffing continuity and scheduling for multilingual and special‑education students remain difficult.

McMahon: Charlotte Johnson, principal at McMahon, reported 488 students with an increase in multilingual and special‑purpose populations; the school recently added a RISE room to support transitions for students out of CLIMB programming. Johnson described a reworked behavior system centered on restorative accountability projects and reported a reduction in in‑school suspension rates due to that approach.

Montello: Montello principal reported about 663 students, roughly half multilingual; school leaders have implemented “houses” for cross‑grade community building, expanded after‑school and summer options for roughly 400 students, and added music participation via grants. Montello’s challenges include long‑term unfilled positions, space constraints, and frequent midyear enrollment change that requires continual reteaching of procedures.

Lewiston Middle School: Amanda Bryant, LMS principal, said the middle school enrollment rose to about 738 students with roughly 32% multilingual learners and 26% receiving special‑education services. LMS has implemented a new literacy curriculum and restorative accountability practices. Bryant highlighted teams that loop two years with students and a student support team that meets weekly; chronic absenteeism (about 40% chronically absent or truant) and defiant/disruptive behavior were still concerns.

Lewiston High School: LHS principal reported 1,480 students, noted college application activity (724 four‑year applications filed to date) and programs including AP, dual enrollment and Lewiston Academy. The principal said major discipline referrals have dropped from 79 incidents per week in early fall to about 44 per week since January (a 45% reduction), but chronic absenteeism (44% with 10 or more absences) and a 68% four‑year graduation rate remain challenges. He also highlighted use of an electronic pass system to reduce roaming in hallways.

Across schools, common themes emerged: growing multilingual and newcomer populations, special‑purpose staffing vacancies, space constraints for shared classrooms, behavior and attendance pressures, and notable successes in SEL, music participation, community partnerships and restorative practices. Committee members asked for academic progress data and attendance analyses at future sessions.