Windsor Unified proposes classroom support model for Maddie Washburn after low screening results; teachers and parents push back

Windsor Unified Superintendent Decker told the Board of Trustees on Feb. 20 that the district will expand site-based classroom supports at Maddie Washburn Elementary to keep struggling students in general education classrooms and provide more targeted interventions there.

The move follows the district’s winter Renaissance (STAR/RenStar) screening and YouthTruth survey data, which Decker said show reading and math gaps in early grades and localized concerns at Maddie Washburn. Decker told the board the district will hire a site-specific instructional coach for Maddie Washburn and increase the number of classroom instructional aides, shifting aide time so first- and second-grade classrooms receive roughly 5½ hours of daily instructional-aide support. Decker said the changes are intended to reduce the adult-to-student ratio in group interventions and allow “centers” and small-group instruction to happen inside the classroom rather than pulling students out.

Why it matters: district officials said keeping students in the regular classroom for core instruction reduces stigma and improves access to grade‑level teaching. Parents and teachers at the meeting said leadership and resources — not individual teachers — are the main issue.

Key elements of the district plan presented at the meeting - Hire a site-specific instructional coach at Maddie Washburn to provide ongoing teacher training and coordinate interventions. - Add instructional aides for first and second grade to provide about 5½ hours per day of classroom support, with the aim of reducing small-group adult-to-student ratios (district example: from 24:1 toward approximately 12:1 in targeted contexts). - Provide 8–12 hours of initial professional development for instructional aides (child development, classroom management, differentiated instruction, supporting students with disabilities), followed by advanced topics in year two.

Superintendent’s context and data Decker framed the plan as a response to multiple measures. He said preschool enrollment opened recently: 57 applications on the first day of registration and 68 applicants as of the report to the board. He described YouthTruth survey results indicating uneven parent and student perceptions of safety and feedback: middle-school students reported nearly 26% saying they do not feel safe, and Decker said African American students reported higher rates (he cited 39% in one disaggregated result) — figures he said require further investigation. Decker also summarized RenStar/STAR results for early grades and said reading growth is uneven across grades and math “is all over the place,” prompting the unified support model.

Public comment and staff response A large group of parents and staff used the public-comment period to press for resources and defend second‑grade teachers at Maddie Washburn, who board members had singled out in a prior meeting’s data discussion. Teachers and parents repeatedly said the cohort of students in question arrived with pandemic‑era learning disruptions, high staff turnover at kindergarten, and other site‑level strains.

• Kelli Lamberti, a second‑grade teacher at Maddie Washburn, said, “Teaching 24 or more kids with different academic, social, and behavioral needs is the job that we all signed up for,” and described feeling unfairly judged after the board’s January discussion. Lamberti said she was notified of a pending reassignment and said moving teachers would destabilize student progress.

• Multiple parents said staffing instability and leadership turnover at Maddie Washburn had contributed to the cohort’s performance, and asked the board to prioritize on‑site administrators, reading interventionists and behavioral supports rather than disciplinary or personnel actions.

District response and next steps Decker and district staff described the instructional changes as a concrete step: reallocating resources, professional development for aides, and a multi‑year rollout for coaching and staffing. The assistant superintendent, Brian, addressed the board and apologized for prior comments that had upset teachers and staff; he outlined upcoming professional development for teachers and district timelines for common formative assessment work.

The board did not take a binding personnel action tied to this presentation at the Feb. 20 meeting. Board members and district staff said they will continue to analyze screening and YouthTruth data and will bring follow‑up materials and timelines to future meetings. Staff said they would provide a more detailed plan of costs, implementation timing, and measurable goals for the proposed coaching and aide program.

Ending District staff framed the proposal as a multi‑year effort to move intervention into classrooms while improving coaching and adult capacity. Parents and teachers urged the board to pair the plan with clearer on‑site leadership and sustained funding; the board asked staff to return with more detail in a future packet.