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), who oversees PBIS at one elementary building, described existing “b bucks” that students accumulate and new immediate recognition tools such as a teacher-issued golden beebuck that recognizes exemplary behavior on the spot. Justin said combining PBIS and attendance incentives produced a measurable attendance increase in one month: “we went from a 92% attendance rate for November in 2023 to 94.5%,” he said, and added that referrals across September through December are down 74% over three years while bus referrals are down 80%.

School staff also described adding a program of book‑vending machines modeled on a Goshen program. Mesnick (first name not specified) said the machines can be custom‑wrapped for each school, accept tokens students earn through PBIS, and include adjustable trays that can hold picture books as well as chapter books so they work for pre‑K through Grade 5.

Why it matters: the reading adoption and tied supports affect classroom instruction for all elementary students in the district and formalize materials and training. The vending machines, reading lab and PBIS changes are designed to increase instructional time, raise daily attendance and put more books in students’ hands.

The elementary team said they will return to the board with implementation updates once purchasing and summer training dates are set. Meznick and Cancredi said the roll‑out will include curriculum units and schedules for embedded professional learning.

Speakers

- Emily Meznick, literacy coach, Port Jervis City School District - Brett Cancredi, elementary building principal, Port Jervis City School District - Justin (last name not specified), staff member involved with PBIS at elementary level - Mesnick / Meznick (first name not specified in the transcript), staff member presenting book‑vending details - Sadie (last name not specified), staff member (Guiding Coalition representative) - Emma Farr, junior student board representative - Anaya Green, senior student board representative

Authorities

- {"type":"regulation","name":"regulation 8 18 (New York State Literacy Initiative)","referenced_by":["Dr. Natasha Walkowitz","Emily Meznick"]}

Actions

[]

Discussion_vs_Decision

- Discussion points: multi‑district site visits to evaluate reading programs; teacher committee vote; PBIS incentives and attendance strategies; volunteer reading lab staffing; custom book vending machines and token economy. - Directions: staff to complete purchasing and schedule half‑day summer trainings; return with implementation timeline and curriculum units. - Decisions: teachers’ committee recommended InterReading; the board heard the presentation but no formal board vote to adopt was recorded in the transcript.

Clarifying_details

- {"category":"committee size","detail":"reading program site-visit committee","value":23,"units":"people","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Emily Meznick"} - {"category":"teacher vote","detail":"percentage choosing InterReading","value":"over 90%","units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Emily Meznick"} - {"category":"training schedule","detail":"target for staff training","value":"half‑day sessions in June","units":"timing","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Brett Cancredi"} - {"category":"attendance change","detail":"November attendance change from 2023 to 2024","value":"from 92% to 94.5%","units":"percent points","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Justin"} - {"category":"referrals change","detail":"discipline referrals Sept–Dec over three years","value":"down 74%","units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Justin"} - {"category":"bus referrals change","detail":"bus referrals over three years","value":"down 80%","units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Justin"} - {"category":"vending machine scope","detail":"vending machines stocked for pre‑K through grade 5 with picture‑book and novel trays","value":"not specified","units":"","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mesnick"}

Proper_names

[{"name":"PORT JERVIS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT","type":"agency"},{"name":"East Main Elementary","type":"school"},{"name":"HBE","type":"school"},{"name":"Goshen","type":"location"},{"name":"Minisink Valley","type":"location"},{"name":"Ellenville","type":"location"},{"name":"SUNY Rockland","type":"organization"},{"name":"SUNY ESF Newcomb campus","type":"location"},{"name":"CTEC","type":"program"},{"name":"DeCA","type":"organization"}]

Community_relevance

- Geographies: Port Jervis elementary schools (EME, HBE) - Impact groups: elementary students (pre‑K–5), teachers, volunteers/retirees, families - Funding sources: not specified in the presentation

Meeting_context

- Engagement level: multi‑speaker presentation spanning the elementary principals, literacy coach and PBIS staff; committee work and site‑visit review described; follow‑up implementation tasks assigned to staff. - Implementation risk: medium — depends on procurement timelines, summer training participation and budget approvals. - History: reading program selection process began last school year and included visits in November and December; roll‑out planned for next school year.

Searchable_tags

["reading-curriculum","PBIS","attendance","book-vending","volunteer-reading-lab","elementary-education"]

Provenance

{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"seg_306.945","local_start":0,"local_end":250,"evidence_excerpt":"But, no, thank you for tip for tonight. I hope you guys had a a great holiday season. A lot of great things going on at the elementary schools. We're grama touch on a few things tonight. A couple of things that are you're gonna hear about tonight, our new reading series, from Houghton Houghton Houghton is called Into Reading.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg_2018.455","local_start":0,"local_end":300,"evidence_excerpt":"closing with, getting books in the children's hands. You know, that's that's an important thing because kids love to have a book that belongs to them. They take it home, they're proud of it, they're going to be getting books for their vending machines. But also, we are now ready for our 4th year of our reading together program. This is so exciting.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

salience:{"overall":0.62,"overall_justification":"District-wide reading adoption affects instruction for all elementary students and ties to attendance and behavior initiatives.","impact_scope":"local","attention_level":"medium","novelty":0.45,"timeliness_urgency":0.55,"legal_significance":0.10,"budgetary_significance":0.20}