Board hears coaching update as district tallies classroom and math coaching gains

The Buchanan Board of Education received a detailed briefing on Feb. 10 about the district's classroom and math coaching program and its effects on teacher practice and student learning.

Dr. Susan Bliss, a district staff member, opened the presentation and said the program reflects the board's goals to "promote and support innovative and exemplary research based professional practices." She described the program's central premise: "academic excellence stems from continuous teacher growth."

The district's two coaches and a K'8 coordinator gave classroom-level examples and usage data. Jen Eldridge, the classroom coach, described the coaching cycle she uses: target, plan, implement and expand. She walked the board through a transition-focused cycle in which a teacher reduced a typical transition from about "2 to 3 minutes" to a target of 30 seconds, using video analysis, modeling and student-led problem solving. Eldridge said the change can have a substantial classroom impact: "If you take 2 minutes off of 20 transitions per day, that's 40 minutes per day of instructional time that you've gained back." She added, "I wanna see the worst part of your day," to explain the peer-coaching, non-evaluative stance she uses with teachers.

Mary Fisher, the math coach, said her work focuses on domains 2 and 3 of the district's effective teaching framework: planning and content-specific instruction. She described coaching cycles that use manipulatives and models to teach division and said the teacher's use of models led to improved student work and understanding. Jen Deponte, the K'8 coordinator, said coaching is being used to foster districtwide professional learning and that in-house professional learning sessions are a gateway to deeper coaching work.

Program data presented to the board included year-to-year coaching activity and demand. Eldridge said that last year she coached 46 teachers individually, 41 in small groups and led 20 hours of professional learning. This year she had coached 30 teachers individually, 11 in small groups and delivered 11 hours so far, with more sessions scheduled during upcoming professional learning days. Dr. Bliss noted a demographic change: a 74% increase in teachers classified as "new" (from 31 to 54 teachers, defined as non-tenured teachers with four or fewer years of experience), which the presentation cited as a reason for elevated coaching needs.

Board members asked substantive follow-ups. One line of questioning concerned the classroom physical environment and visual stimulation. A board member said some classrooms appeared visually overstimulating and asked whether coaches address decorating and anchor-chart practices; Eldridge replied that many classroom displays (anchor charts, number lines) are instructional, but acknowledged it is a topic to consider. Another set of questions probed curricular continuity, especially fractions and number-line work, and whether K'8 coaching aligns with middle- and high-school instruction; Deponte and Fisher said they coordinate with middle- and high-school colleagues and are prioritizing foundational standards.

On staffing and budget, the panel reiterated an ongoing budget process. Dr. Lutzky (district staff) told the board the administration had added one classroom coach in the proposed budget for next year. Board members expressed support for additional coaching capacity but asked for continued evaluation and metrics to justify further hires.

No board vote was taken on adding staff or changing the coaching program at this meeting. The program managers described the coaching work as cyclical and responsive: some teachers receive consecutive coaching cycles, while others receive periodic check-ins; assignments are driven by student needs, principal requests and teacher self-referrals.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve agenda for Feb. 10, 2025: approved (board recorded as unanimous; mover/second not specified in transcript). Note: counts not specified. - Motion to approve minutes for 01/21/2025: approved. Motion recorded as moved by "Matt" and seconded by "Brendan" in the transcript; outcome: approved (counts not specified). - Motion to approve minutes for the special meeting 02/03/2025: approved. Motion recorded as moved by Matt Campbell and seconded by Matt Wexler; outcome: approved (counts not specified). - Motion to adjourn: approved (mover recorded as Matt; second recorded as Phil; outcome: approved; counts not specified).

Why it matters: The presentation framed coaching as a lever to accelerate teacher practice and student outcomes as the district absorbs a larger share of new teachers. Coaches described classroom examples that target routines, transitions and content-specific strategies, and said the work spreads by observation, grade-level meetings and district professional learning days. Board members highlighted the need to monitor program outcomes and consider staffing levels as part of the upcoming budget review.

The board's budget schedule continues: the administration will present the FY25'—26 budget to the Board of Finance on Feb. 11; that conversation will feed March deliberations and the town council review. The administration asked the board and the public to follow the Board of Finance schedule on the agenda for details.