Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Connetquot board members outline draft goals emphasizing student achievement, math, special education and fiscal responsibility
Summary
Board members discussed a set of draft short- and long-term goals, centering on student achievement and instructional quality, expanded dual-enrollment and career pathways, special education services, budget transparency and math proficiency. Trustees asked staff to compile input and narrow priorities to a short list of measurable board goals.
During a Connetquot Central School District Board of Education meeting, trustees and participants discussed a draft set of short- and long-term board goals that prioritized student achievement, math proficiency, special education supports and fiscal responsibility.
Board members opened the discussion by outlining several short-term actions aimed at "student achievement and instructional excellence," including strengthening differentiated instruction and intervention programs, expanding professional development in STEM, arts and career-technical education, and enhancing social-emotional and mental-health resources for students and staff. Board member 1 said the district should "conduct a review of curriculum alignment with state standards and best practices, and analyze school rankings, metrics, and identify areas for immediate academic improvement."
The discussion tied short-term items to longer-term ambitions beyond 2025: raising district rankings through improved standardized-test performance and graduation rates, expanding dual-enrollment and Advanced Placement opportunities, and creating districtwide instructional-technology plans to support 21st-century learning.
Trustees also discussed special-education and student-support goals. Board member 1 proposed improved family communication about special-education services and targeted professional development for inclusive classrooms, plus evaluating special-education staffing and resources. Board member 4 emphasized the need to ensure Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans are followed and suggested bringing more interventions into the district so students could receive services locally rather than traveling for outside programs.
Fiscal responsibility was a recurring theme. One speaker stated they had "maintained a fiscally responsible budget within the approved 222,000,000," and proposed increased community engagement in budgeting, pursuing state and federal grant opportunities, conducting efficiency audits and exploring shared services to contain costs. Trustees also proposed expanding energy-efficiency projects and reducing reliance on outside contractors by strengthening in-house maintenance, IT and professional-development capacity.
Math achievement drew sustained attention. Several board members described concern about low math proficiency at multiple grade levels and discussed strategies including renewed emphasis on foundational skills (for example, practice of long division and mental arithmetic), expanded tutoring and enrichment, and more project-based learning. One trustee said district reading-comprehension and retention problems were contributing to lower achievement in math and other subjects.
Career and technical pathways and dual enrollment were discussed as strategies to expand college- and career-ready options. Board member 3 urged the district to consider bringing high-attendance BOCES programs (for example, cosmetology or mechanics) into Connetquot’s in-house offerings. Board member 6 (speaking about postsecondary partnerships) said the district is expanding a partnership with Suffolk County Community College for college-credit English courses and that trustees have discussed longer-term goals such as offering an associate-degree pathway.
Trustees also recommended improved district communication and community engagement. Participants proposed more timely board documents and public acknowledgement of inquiries, creation of a community committee for vision/mission work, and narrowing the board’s priorities to three to five measurable, actionable goals. One trustee proposed compiling all board members’ notes into a single organized list for prioritization and action.
Board members acknowledged emerging classroom technology and its instructional implications. Several speakers urged proactive planning for artificial intelligence tools so teachers and students could use them as learning aids without encouraging misuse.
The meeting concluded with a procedural motion to adjourn, which passed by voice vote.
Next steps identified during the discussion included collecting each trustee’s drafts and having staff consolidate the inputs for the board to refine and convert into SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals and an action plan.
