Saline schools outline curriculum, staffing and social‑emotional plans in annual fall update

Cara Davis, a member of the district teaching and learning team, presented Saline Area Schools’ annual continuous improvement update at the Board of Education meeting on Sept. 30, outlining academic and social‑emotional goals, staffing changes and program rollouts for the 2025–26 school year.

The presentation said the district is in a two‑year curriculum review cycle and reported completed reviews for math and science, ongoing reviews for social studies and secondary English language arts, and implementation of a new phonics program, UFLI Foundations. The district plans to replace its data platform Illuminate with a new program called Schoollytics to streamline assessment analysis. Cara Davis said the district has revised its academic goal to emphasize “increased student mastery in all content areas for all students and subgroups by improving the quality and consistency of tier 1 instruction supported by aligned MTSS and PBIS practices.”

The update highlighted program and staffing changes intended to support that goal. Jen Nelson, identified as a literacy coach and instructional designer, described curriculum work and new offerings including a high school math learning lab pilot, expanded service minutes for English learners, and the district’s summer training for UFLI phonics. The presentation said the district used funding identified as a "35 j grant" to pay teacher stipends for summer training and to bring UFLI trainers to Saline.

Caroline Stout, the district MTSS coordinator, and Beth Russo, secondary MTSS coordinator, described efforts to strengthen multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS) and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). The district said it has placed SEL coaches under the teaching and learning team, added a dedicated Heritage MTSS coordinator, increased occupational therapy staffing under the SEA contract and hired an ESL‑certified teacher to increase minutes of service for English learners.

Dr. Ryan Kerr, the district’s DEI specialist, summarized quality‑survey results the presentation highlighted: more than 70% of students and guardians report positive interactions with staff and nearly 80% of staff, students and guardians report feeling schools are safe. The presentation said the district plans continued training in restorative practices, trauma‑informed approaches and comprehensive school threat assessment guidance.

Board members asked for clarifications. Trustee Jason asked how the district decides which pilot programs are implemented or discontinued; Davis and staff said decisions are made during the monitoring phase of the continuous improvement cycle, based on student success teams, principals, the teaching and learning team and available funding. Jennifer (Trustee) asked about a gender gap in math performance; district staff said the gap appears on M‑STEP results and will be triangulated using other assessments. Dr. Golden asked for examples of SEL lessons; staff described advisory and scope‑and‑sequence lessons (for example, coping and study skills) and said the district uses the Be Good People curriculum at the high school.

The presentation ended with a summary of the district’s professional learning structure (district professional development days, staff meetings, teacher leader meetings and a fall symposium) intended to scale the work across buildings and classrooms.

District presenters and board members said they will continue monitoring assessment results (M‑STEP and local assessments) and adjust programming as needed. Several trustees thanked staff for the update and for additional detail placed in the board packet for later review.