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Haverhill School Committee accepts $75,000 Cogswell Club grant to expand 1:1 Ignite tutoring
Summary
The committee unanimously accepted a $75,000 donation from the Cogswell Club to Haverhill Promise to expand Ignite 1:1 tutoring at Tilton Elementary by roughly 30 seats for a full school year; presenters said Ignite pilot data showed accelerated reading gains but members pressed for tracking, attendance, and cost clarity.
The Haverhill School Committee on Dec. 12 voted to accept a $75,000 grant from the Cogswell Club to expand Ignite, a one-on-one literacy tutoring program, at Tilton Elementary. The donation, presented by Lisa Marsali of the Cogswell Club, is expected to fund about 30 additional tutoring seats for a full school year.
District staff and partners described Ignite as a 15-minute-per-day, diagnostic-driven intervention aimed at foundational reading skills. Neil Nicholson of Great Minds and district literacy staff said the program’s pilot showed substantial short-term gains; the district reported that participating students made an average of 2.2 weeks of reading progress for every week of tutoring during a short spring pilot.
Committee members pressed staff and partners for implementation details. An Ignite representative and Haverhill Promise said the program is budgeted at about $2,500 per seat for a school year (the transcript contained an unclear interim figure that staff clarified as $2,500 per seat). Staff described an attendance-monitoring threshold (Ignite alerts schools when a student’s attendance dips below 80 percent) and said principals, teachers and coaches meet regularly to review diagnostics and progress. The district said it will track cohort students—this year’s cohort are first graders—so outcomes can be followed over time.
Members discussed how the private grant will be accepted administratively: the mayor and superintendent noted that because Haverhill Promise now operates under the public library umbrella, accepting the check may require formal city acceptance or contracting similar to prior tutoring arrangements. The committee voted to accept the gift on a roll call vote.
The donation comes amid broader district literacy efforts. Staff also presented classroom demonstrations of the Wit and Wisdom ELA curriculum and student work from StudySync, which committee members said supports engagement behind the tutoring investment. The Cogswell Club urged continued public and private support and accountability for tutoring expansion.
The committee directed staff to place a formal acceptance item on the city council agenda as a formality if required. The district said it will provide follow-up details about selection criteria for students, attendance rates, and plans for post-tutoring monitoring.
