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Board discusses UVA transition, Insight and New Visions contracts and an attendance task force; River Rock AEDY placements noted as limited
Summary
Committee members questioned consultant contracts and data reporting: district leaders described a UVA-to-network transition, Insight Education work on a Portrait of a Graduate and an Attendance Task Force, New Visions reporting improvements coming, and staff noted statewide limits on AEDY alternative placements such as River Rock.
Multiple contract and consultant items were discussed at length during the June 9 committee meeting as the district transitions from UVA-centered professional development to locally led networks and strengthens attendance work.
Doctor Latricia Gloucester and other administrators described the transition to network-led supports. Gloucester said the district will shift from sending leaders to UVA as a training site toward a “gradual release” where district network leads trained through UVA will provide localized coaching. She said network directors and district shepherds will continue related training and that the change will “accelerate” districtwide consistency because many district leaders already have UVA-aligned training.
Board members asked for clearer measures tying UVA/Network investments to student outcomes. Gloucester said the Office of the Assistant Superintendent and instructional teams review interim-assessment and participation data, identify where schools achieve the district’s 10% growth goal and then target coaching and PLCs appropriately. She described four defined elements of instructional leadership: data-driven practices, high-quality instruction, leveraging PLCs and instructional-leadership teams.
Insight Education’s contract for the coming year was discussed; administrators said the vendor will support three priorities not covered last year: (1) a districtwide portrait of a graduate spanning pre-K through high school, (2) an attendance task force to address chronic absenteeism and (3) continued work on instructional coaching and the literacy framework. Insight’s role is framed as a partnership to help the district catalog existing practices and scale successful models rather than prescribe changes.
Board members asked New Visions, a partner at two schools, to present more robust data at an upcoming meeting; administrators said New Visions’ enrollment and service numbers have grown, and staff will invite the contractor to present in August with enhanced reporting. Members asked for clearer records of how the partner’s staff coordinate with school teachers and principals to avoid duplication.
The meeting also covered Parental Navigator services (Doctor Washington), which board members said has seen increased usage and measurable results; administrators noted participation has roughly doubled and that Washington provides FAFSA forums and other parent navigation supports.
On River Rock (AEDY) placements, administrators said many AEDY programs across the state were closed or revamped after monitoring, which reduced available placement slots statewide. The district currently reserves a few slots for AEDY and related PALS programs for students with behavioral needs but reported few actual AEDY placements and difficulty locating vendor slots across Pennsylvania.
Ending: Directors requested additional data and presentations from New Visions and Insight in August, asked Gloucester to document and memorialize successful practices so outside contractors aren’t perpetually required, and requested ongoing measurement tying consultant work to student outcomes.
