Fayetteville-Manlius leaders lay out strategic plan priorities, literacy pilot and expanded student supports

Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District leaders presented the district strategic plan and building action plans during the board meeting, outlining three priority areas — teaching and learning, school environment and fiscal capacity — and detailing how those priorities will shape curriculum pilots and student supports.

The presentation emphasized personalized learning and teacher development, including cohorts conducting action research and professional learning focused on ethical classroom use of artificial intelligence. District officials described a K–6 literacy pilot that narrowed multiple programs to two finalists; transcript materials show 20 K–4 teachers are piloting the programs (10 teachers per vendor) with broader K–6 implementation decisions to follow winter assessment and survey data.

Officials also described a district partnership with Dr. Meredith Madden of Utica University/Equity Professor LLC to support curriculum review and DEI work. "We currently have 42 teachers who will be working with her across 6 different groups," the district said, and leaders said the work will include CRSE-aligned training and curriculum-evaluation frameworks to ensure students can see themselves in the curriculum.

Student social-emotional and mental-health work featured prominently. District representatives reported growth in mental-health staffing over recent years and announced a newly hired mental-health educator at the high school, Dominic Malara. The district said it is still awaiting full staffing for two mental-health clinics approved by the county and the Office of Mental Health. Presenters described ongoing programs such as a districtwide MTSS plan, the BEST (Brainstorming Educational Strategies Team) pre-intervention model piloted at Enders Road, and restorative-practices rollouts led by Principal Trish Fogarty and Assistant Principal Alyssa Haymore.

BEST, described as an MTSS-aligned pre-intervention team, was reported to have supported 65 students at Enders Road last year, with 10 students receiving the most intensive interventions; staff surveys cited increased teacher voice and fewer referrals to special education. Elementary principals explained building-level progress-monitoring and how families — both of participating and non-participating students — will be kept informed during pilot rollouts.

Middle- and high-school leaders outlined additional priorities: the adoption of the Panorama data platform for holistic student analytics, alignment to revised New York State standards (including computer science/digital literacy), and student-led initiatives such as Socratic seminars and service-learning partnerships with organizations including ClearPath for Veterans. At the high school, Principal Patrick McNamara said the district has continued its cell-phone policy with "far fewer referrals than anticipated" and that a school-start committee will meet monthly to study schedule and start-time options that could begin in the 2026–27 school year.

Administrators also reported facility progress tied to the district’s capital project: a new tech wing, a covered walkway to connect student circulation between wings, a forthcoming main office and counseling suite, and plans to open additional instructional space. Leaders said biweekly meetings with construction management aim to minimize disruptions to instruction.

Board members largely framed the presentation as informational and asked for follow-up, including a January curricular review meeting where pilot data and recommendations will be shared. The district said it will present winter-assessment data and parent, teacher and student survey results before a final literacy-program recommendation.

What’s next: district staff will return with assessment and pilot data in January and continue to refine MTSS, restorative practices and mental-health clinic staffing while proceeding with scheduled facility work.