Monroe-Woodbury updates progress on academics, safety, budget, HR and cybersecurity goals

Superintendent Dr. Michael Norman and members of his cabinet detailed a midyear progress update to the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District Board of Education on Jan. 8, 2025, outlining work on student achievement, school safety and security, budget planning, human-resources initiatives, cybersecurity and the development of a new strategic plan.

The update said the K'5 attendance protocol was finalized this fall and marked "100% complete," and that state and STAR assessment data were distributed to teachers to inform instruction. "We received those results and we've distributed those results to all of our 4th and 5th grade teachers," said Matt Kravitz, a cabinet member, describing how teachers received both past-cohort and current-student data to guide "deeper dives" into standards-based instruction. The district reported that the STAR first-window assessment was administered in the fall and that a mid-January window will be used to measure progress.

District officials described a K'5 curriculum audit intended to align ELA, math, science and social-studies topics to state standards and create a single, districtwide roadmap for teachers, parents and students. The audit was described as about 50% complete: committees have drafted documents listing monthly topic focus, essential questions and linked standards, and staff are mapping when topics are taught across the year to connect instruction to assessment outcomes.

At the secondary level, presenters said a K—2 attendance protocol is in place and that staff use state assessments, common assessments and item analysis to adjust depth of instruction by topic. Secondary work also includes a review of Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment access: the cabinet has assembled five-year demographic trend data and is analyzing gaps between overall high-school demographics and enrollment in AP/dual-enrollment courses. Officials said that phase 1 (data extraction) is underway and phase 2 (exam performance and credit completion analysis) remains in progress.

A district school-counseling and guidance-program advisory committee completed an annual assessment tool required by the State Education Department and is breaking into elementary, middle and high-school groups to review results and revise guidance plans. That work was described as about 25% complete.

On safety and security, Patrick Cahill, assistant superintendent for business management services, said nonemergency communications are centralized through Director of Safety and Security Joseph Trapoto, and that the communications protocol is established. Cahill said the district is drafting detailed written protocols for shelter-in-place, evacuation, reunification and other emergency responses and listed those written protocols as roughly 50% complete; compliance assurance (field verification of protocol use) has not yet begun. Cahill emphasized that individual building emergency response plans and some protocol elements are internal and not public for security reasons. "We have school resource officers in every one of our schools, all day long," Cahill said, and noted district investments including upgraded classroom locks and security shades on classroom viewing panes.

Fiscal work described a budgeting calendar and a position-control rollover completed for the current year. Cahill outlined a multi-year capital program (2023'29), saying planning and design work for this cycle is under way and that a recent bid opening occurred for the Central Valley security-vestibule project; construction work for phased projects is expected to begin this summer. He characterized the current capital-program work as 50% complete for this planning year.

In human resources, administrators described recruitment partnerships with local colleges and an active substitute-recruitment campaign. The district reported adding 99 new substitutes so far this year, a 28% increase from the prior year, for a current total of 637 district substitutes. Retention work includes an admin-mentor program, staff-recognition efforts and pending contract-comparison analysis; administrative-certification pathways (partnerships with SUNY New Paltz/Mid-Hudson and Manhattanville) have about 12 registrants.

Technology staff described cybersecurity work aligned to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the Center for Internet Security controls. The district has completed draft assessments for three of six control areas targeted this year and has finished an external penetration test; draft findings are under review. Officials said the assessment and a resulting mitigation or risk-acceptance plan will guide future work.

The superintendent also reported progress toward a 2025-26 strategic plan: the district convened a strategic-planning committee, produced a draft vision and mission for review, and completed an environmental scan and SWOT analysis at the national, state and local levels. Data-collection planning for community input remains to be scheduled before the formal launch.

Board members asked clarifying questions about benchmarks, timelines and public availability of materials. Cabinet members said finalized audit and curriculum documents will be shared after review and that some security documents will remain internal. Multiple board members thanked Central Valley for hosting and praised student performers who opened the meeting.