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Bentley seeks renewal of innovation plan as dual-language program expands
Summary
Bentley School leaders presented an innovation-plan renewal to the Salem School Committee describing a shift to a full dual-language model, curriculum changes, staffing and schedule autonomies; the committee deferred a final vote to a future meeting after questions about schedule equity and budget carryover.
The Salem School Committee on May 5 heard a presentation from Bentley School leaders seeking renewal of the school's innovation plan, which the principal said reflects the school's shift to a full dual-language program and a number of curriculum, staffing and scheduling autonomies.
"I'm Liz Rogers. I'm the principal at Bentley," Rogers told the committee as she introduced the renewal and the Bentley team. She described the renewal as a chance "to brag on some things that we've done over the last 5 years" and to align the written plan with the school's current practices.
The innovation-plan renewal matters because it formally records the autonomies the school uses — including different curriculum choices in Spanish and English, unique staffing positions and an adjusted assessment calendar — and gives the committee the license to approve those variations. Bentley leaders said the changes are intended to support multilingual learners and to preserve program elements developed since the plan's 2020 adoption.
Presenters outlined the school's changes and results. Bentley added a prekindergarten this year and now enrolls about 150 multilingual learners, which principal Rogers characterized as "about half of our students." School leaders said the school has moved from a pilot dual-language strand to a "wall to wall" dual-language model that requires curriculum and assessment in both Spanish and English, and that demand has produced a waitlist since 2023.
Laura Tuohy, identified as an ML coach and member of the Bentley Academy leadership team, described how the renewal process was intentionally broad: staff, paraprofessionals, specialists, parents and a school-site council member participated in revising sections of the plan. Kelly Quinn, Bentley's school counselor, described behavioral and social supports embedded across tiers and noted restorative practices and PBIS operate in both languages.
Curriculum changes cited in the presentation include adoption of Benchmark for literacy and plans to begin Bridges Math next year, selected in part for quality Spanish-language resources. Bentley also described having a STEAM teacher among its unique specialist roles and using early-release professional development time for co-planning tied to the dual-language curriculum.
Leaders discussed autonomies the plan preserves or requests: curriculum/instructional autonomy, staffing flexibility to create bilingual roles and an option to extend the school day. Rogers said the school will match the district's daily hours next year (a reduction of 25 minutes for Bentley) but asked to retain the option in the innovation plan to extend the day in the future if funding permits. The team also asked that budget-carryforward authorities (the ability to carry unspent funds between fiscal years) remain available in case the school chooses to use them later.
Committee members praised Bentley's progress but raised concerns. Member Campbell and others said dual-language programming can legitimately require additional time and resources; Member Manning and others cautioned the committee to avoid setting precedents that produce inequities across schools. Superintendent Scribe and Deputy Superintendent Carboni joined committee praise for the school's cultural and academic improvements.
The school committee did not take a final vote on the renewal at the May 5 meeting. Chair remarks and Rogers' opening comments indicated the committee would receive a final version that incorporates feedback from the Salem Teachers Union and others and that a formal vote is expected at the next meeting.
Principal Rogers asked committee members to send any further requested changes to her so staff can prepare the final document. The committee also discussed continued engagement with staff and the public as the renewal is finalized.
The committee's decision to defer the vote leaves the innovation-plan renewal pending; school leaders said they will incorporate the union's feedback and return a revised plan for formal approval at a future meeting.
