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Parents and educators press Portsmouth school leaders on curriculum quality and teacher supports amid budget concerns
Summary
Two parents urged changes to elementary and middle‑school ELA materials, criticized reliance on commercial programs, and warned that proposed budget cuts to coaches and professional development would worsen teacher morale. District leaders described staff‑wellness plans including a May 23 professional development day.
At the Portsmouth School Committee meeting on March 25, two parents used the public‑comment period to press district leaders on curriculum choices and the effects of proposed budget cuts on classroom teachers.
Amy Correa, a University of Rhode Island College of Education faculty member who said she works with districts on curriculum and policy, told the committee she had three children in the district and ongoing engagement with building leadership. Correa criticized some commercial instructional materials used in early grades as low quality and urged district leaders to remove them or give teachers time and resources to revise lessons. "The proposed budget cuts impact teachers, our instructional coaches, and professional development," Correa said. "A clear plan of action is needed to improve student outcomes and teacher satisfaction."
Sophia Sinclair, a Portsmouth parent and PTO member, said she had observed a decline in academic quality at Portsmouth Middle School that she attributed to "insufficient leadership and coaching support for the teaching staff" and to overreliance on EdTech platforms such as IXL, Wonders and StudySync. Sinclair urged the committee to reconsider cuts that would reduce teachers or instructional coaches and to increase staff accountability for supporting classroom instruction.
Superintendent Kenworthy and staff described the district's efforts on staff wellness and professional learning. Assistant/lead staff member Mrs. Aguirre outlined a staff wellness day scheduled for May 23 at Portsmouth High School that will include a keynote from Pam Garamone, sessions on social, emotional, physical and financial wellness, and community partners such as NEA Rhode Island, URI Master Gardener program, Coastline Employee Assistance and MetLife representatives.
Kenworthy noted the district had set a target of five school days for families to receive special‑education paperwork ahead of meetings and asked that SurveyWorks results and teacher feedback be folded into follow‑up planning. "I do hope, by that date, we could have follow‑up from the SurveyWorks teacher response from a year ago," Kenworthy said.
Committee members acknowledged the concerns and said follow‑up would be appropriate during upcoming agenda items on teaching and learning. There were no formal votes tied directly to the public comments at the meeting.
