Shelton schools outline improvement plans with focus on attendance, literacy and multi-tier supports

Bordeaux Elementary, Cedar High and Choice High presented their 2024–25 school improvement plans to the Shelton School District Board of Directors, emphasizing attendance, literacy and structured student supports.

Bordeaux Principal Kyle O'Neil told the board the school has a staff of 63 serving 522 students, with 69.5% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 28% English learners, 20.5% students with disabilities and 2.6% identified as highly capable. "Our goal last year for third grade SBA was 45 percent; we actually hit 52 percent," O'Neil said, adding that the K–4 program and classroom libraries are part of the strategy to sustain growth. He said the school will continue the Words Their Way curriculum and flexible groupings, and plans to reduce chronic absenteeism by four percentage points; chronic absenteeism was defined in the presentation as 18 or more absences per year (about two per month).

During public comment, Amy Butel, assistant principal at Bordeaux Elementary, read family praise for teachers and staff, singling out fourth grade teacher Mrs. Graham and kindergarten teacher Rae Gottlieb for their classroom work and student connections. "Her compassion and willingness to support her students makes a difference," Butel said of one teacher, relaying parents' feedback.

Cedar Principal Vernon Bruney described Cedar as a small site with 93 students and six staff. He reported last year's target that 90% of ninth-graders earn six credits was met and said the school will continue strategies to increase rigor and attendance. "We'll provide sentence frames, guiding questions, and discussion norms to ensure equitable access for multilingual learners," Bruney said. He described plans to expand outdoor learning areas and continue a district MTSS approach so interventions are identified and applied earlier.

Bruney and student Henry Arons also described hands-on learning in plant biology: "We pickled about 60 pints of vegetables, 25 quarts of apple pie filling harvested from our local trees," Arons said, noting student work connected to a school garden.

Choice Principal Vernon Bruney (presenting for Choice as well) said Choice has grown to 270 students, with about 102 in the open-doors reengagement program and 21 staff. He said the school's ninth-grade on-track rate rose from a goal of 80% to 90% last year and that exclusionary disciplinary incidents fell to three for the year. Choice's 2024–25 goals include increasing ninth-grade on-track rates to 95%, boosting regular attendance (90%+ days present) from 77% to 83%, and embedding universal literacy and scaffolded student discourse across classes. Students from Choice demonstrated a project-based lesson on fire chemistry during the meeting.

Board members and student representatives praised the presentations and asked follow-up questions about attendance strategies. O'Neil and Bruney described a range of approaches used across the schools: targeted school jobs, teacher outreach as the first contact with families, simple in-class routines (greeting students, visual reminders), incentive systems, and attendance support plans for students who miss many days.

The presentations were given as part of the board's recognitions and school improvement agenda; no formal board action on the plans was taken during the meeting.

The district's superintendent and board members noted the presentations as examples of broader district work on literacy, engagement and MTSS implementation.