Port Jervis elementary staff select InterReading; principals outline PBIS, reading lab and book-vending rollout

Port Jervis City School District elementary leaders told the board they have chosen a new K–5 reading program, and described a suite of student-engagement changes that include expanded positive behavior incentives, a volunteer-run reading lab and custom book-vending machines tied to the schools’ PBIS system.

District teachers and building leaders selected InterReading after a multi‑step review of nine candidate programs that included site visits to neighboring districts and classroom reviews, Emily Meznick, the district literacy coach, said. “InterReading was chosen almost unanimously. It was over 90%,” Meznick said.

The selection followed in-district and county outreach: teachers visited Goshen to observe Scholastic programs, Minisink Valley to see Amplify (formerly CKLA) and Ellenville to see InterReading in practice. Meznick said 23 staff members participated in the site‑visit committee and returned with pros-and-cons summaries that staff used to vote.

Brett Cancredi, the elementary building principal who led the presentation, said the district is moving now to procurement and training. “We’re looking to see if we can do half‑days in June” for staff training and to get materials into classrooms, Cancredi said; the district plans to have materials and training in place before the 2025–26 school year, he said.

Board discussion and staff remarks emphasized that picking one series for both elementary buildings aims to align instruction for students who move between buildings. “Now we have students that are going back and forth between the buildings. They’re gonna have the same education, the same instruction,” Cancredi said.

Staff described several complementary initiatives intended to increase reading time and improve school climate. The district opened a volunteer-run reading lab where retirees and community volunteers read with students two times per week in 20-minute blocks; readers track progress with a star chart and students who read 20 books may select a book to keep.

Administrators also described revisions to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) incentives. Justin (last name not specified in the transcript),…