Central Falls superintendent reports enrollment decline, learning‑program gains and special‑education review

The Central Falls superintendent reported a districtwide enrollment figure of 2,463 students on Sept. 23 and said the district ended last year with 2,680 students, noting the district lost students over the summer. The superintendent described the enrollment figure as atypical for September and said administrators are monitoring multiple exit reasons, including moves to other public schools in Rhode Island, transfers to charter schools, graduations and families who may be returning to home countries.

The superintendent presented a staffing and hiring update, saying the district has continued to fill vacancies and has the largest cohort of Warrior Fellows to date to provide classroom coverage when teachers are absent. The HR memo also reported some resignations since the start of school, primarily among teaching assistants and a small number of Warrior Fellows; no retirements had been reported as of September.

District construction updates included progress photos of the new high school’s multi‑story student commons, dining area and media center; the superintendent described recent visible progress such as cabinetry and siding installation since last year’s topping‑off ceremony.

The superintendent also announced a grant-supported learning excursion to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for a team focused on multilingual learners. The trip will include staff from Central Falls and students who were selected through an application process; the superintendent said participants will report back to the board in October or November.

The superintendent presented assessment data from the I‑Ready early fall administration and contrasted those districtwide snapshots with outcomes from the Breakthrough Results program (a targeted intervention in grades 1–8). The superintendent credited Breakthrough Results with meaningful growth for participating students — including examples of first‑ and second‑grade increases and mid‑to‑end‑of‑year growth — but said the district will not continue the program because the state relief (SR) funds that supported it have ended. The superintendent described three takeaways from the program: bringing data in front of students so they understand growth goals, very targeted instruction (tiered supports), and collaborative planning time for teachers.

Finally, the superintendent described a special‑education opportunity review under way with the District Management Group to examine variation in the share of students with IEPs across schools, staff scheduling, related services and instructional practices. The four‑phase review is in phase 2 with a planned report back to the guiding coalition in November or December and a final report thereafter. The superintendent said the district will present findings to the board when available.

The superintendent also notified the board that the district is awaiting ratification votes for the CF2U and Council 94 contracts and that a special meeting may be scheduled before the board’s next regular meeting on Nov. 4 if ratifications are successful.