Nantucket Public Schools leaders told the School Committee on Jan. 21 that the district will pursue an instructional overhaul aimed at closing persistent gaps in elementary and middle-school reading and math while keeping the district's overall staffing allocation for fiscal 2026 unchanged.

The presentation, led by the superintendent and curriculum staff, emphasized aligning the district's priorities with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's standards and using data ''to make data-driven decisions,'' the superintendent said. The district described several strategies that it says will be implemented primarily through reallocated positions and schedule changes rather than an increase in head count.

The plan matters because district leaders said state test results show continuing shortfalls for students in grades 3'8 in English language arts and math compared with statewide averages, and the district wants to target resources where the gaps are largest.

District leaders outlined four main levers: instructional strategies (universal design for learning, sheltered English immersion and inclusive instruction), expanded professional learning communities (PLCs) and in-district professional development, adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials, and refined structures such as aligned master schedules and increased intervention supports. Mandy Bardsley, director of curriculum and assessment for STEM, told the committee, "At the center is our instructional vision," and described how that vision will "inform our instructional strategies" and the budget decisions that follow.

Specific staffing and program clarifications included requests to strengthen reading and math intervention positions across schools: the presenters said the elementary school called NES currently has two reading interventionists and one math interventionist and that it would benefit from adding a second math interventionist; NIS already has two reading and two math interventionists; CPS would benefit from a stable reading interventionist in addition to an existing math interventionist; and the high school would like to develop targeted intervention opportunities there as well. The district also said it plans to add non-evaluative instructional coaches in humanities and STEM to support classroom practice.

District officials said prekindergarten access is a priority: about 30 percent of incoming kindergarten students arrive without any pre-K experience, the presentation said, and the district plans to survey the community and form a steering committee with the goal of implementing expansion steps by September 2026.

Transportation also drew substantial attention. The superintendent said the district will hold a public forum at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 to gather stakeholder feedback on proposed staggered start times intended to ease chronic driver shortages. The presentation said preliminary information indicates an order of district vehicles is expected in spring and that the Cape Cod Collaborative is helping to provide drivers while the district recruits and trains new 70-license drivers; presenters described those supply and hiring details as preliminary and subject to change.

Presenters told the committee the instructional vision will be used to reallocate existing positions, align master schedules across schools, and slightly adjust operational allocations. "We are really looking to take a really deep dive into what resources we already have," one presenter said, adding that the district is not requesting additional staffing in the 2026 allocation but will seek to reassign roles to reflect instructional priorities.

Committee members pressed for specifics and timelines: one committee member asked when a master schedule would be implemented, and district staff said they hope to have collaborative drafts and pilot implementations by the coming school year, with principals involved in rollout planning. Staff also noted that any staggered-start changes would include bargaining-unit discussions where applicable.

The presentation included a brief review of DESE documents and alignment language; staff said Massachusetts' updated district standards and indicators informed the district's approach and that the district's instructional vision maps to state guidance. Staff asked the committee to view the proposal as an initial plan that will be refined in school improvement and budget conversations.

The superintendent and administrators said they would bring more detailed budget presentations at the next meeting but reiterated the central point that the district hopes to advance these priorities through internal reallocation rather than an increase in total staffing.