Romulus Community Schools cites index gains, details Young Fives pilot and bond planning

Romulus Community Schools officials on Dec. 9 told the school board the district posted measurable gains across several accountability measures and outlined next steps for early-childhood supports and facility planning.

Dr. Gardner, the district’s director of teaching, learning and professional development, said five of the district’s seven schools showed increases in their state school-index scores for the 2023–24 school year and that Howard Middle School is no longer labeled a targeted support and intervention (TSI) campus. "When we continue to be intentional about stretching and growing our students, we will continue to see that growth and increase our data," Gardner said.

Gardner cited specific changes in outcomes: the high school’s composite graduation rate rose from 85.83% to 90.17%, and a district alternative program shown in the transcript under varying acronyms rose from about 44.95% to 64.67%. He also credited a near‑universal assessment participation rate at the high school (reported rising from roughly 90.59% to about 99.9%) and large gains on a local assessment metric (reported moving from 47.95% to 99.79%). Gardner said schedule changes and a more supportive testing environment helped boost participation.

Gardner and trustees described several operational drivers: stronger teacher quality and instructional leadership, a guaranteed and viable curriculum, job‑embedded professional development and more frequent data reviews. "The number one influential factor to improving student achievement is high teacher quality," Gardner said. He said the district has shifted from "sit and get" professional development to in-class coaching and has created curriculum binders and pacing guides so teachers can better differentiate instruction.

Superintendent Benjamin Edmondson highlighted investments in safety and operations during his report. He said the district installed weapons-detection equipment, "it costs about $18,000 for each one and we put in 12," and thanked the board for the investment while noting staff are still working to optimize placement and procedures. Edmondson also summarized bond-planning work with architects and a technology needs assessment; he described the effort as a renewal and said some current bonds will drop off so residents should not expect a tax increase in the district’s framing. Edmondson said he will present detailed talking points and financial scenarios to the board before any community outreach.

Officials described ongoing pilots of diagnostic tools: the district is piloting i‑Ready at one elementary school alongside NWEA and will compare fall/winter/spring data before deciding broader adoption. Gardner said the district will use pilot results, union and teacher input, and committee review to guide any scale-up.

On early-childhood programming, Gardner outlined a proposed Young Fives transitional program for next fall, pending board approval. Eligibility would cover children who turn 5 between June 1 and Sept. 1, with waiver requests possible; the program would typically be full day and free to families. The district is in a discovery phase and may pilot the program at two sites (one north, one south) before expanding, Gardner said.

The district also reported community support efforts and scholarship fundraising: Edmondson said community partners donated holiday bundles and that a $5,000 scholarship goal is underway (about $4,000 raised so far).

Next steps: the superintendent and Dr. Gardner will return with more detailed attendance and chronic-absence data, pilot assessment results in January, and financial scenarios and public-engagement materials for the bond discussion.