Residents praise ACE alternative education and urge board to review music cuts, dyslexia accommodations

Several public commenters used the Nov. 18 privilege‑of‑the‑floor period to spotlight student supports and raise concerns about programming.

Laurie DiCaprio, who introduced herself as the alternative education coordinator at the high school, described improvements tied to the ACE (connections) program: summer‑school enrollment decreased, students regained credits, attendance rose, and some seniors graduated after participating. "The connections program has been such a game changer for our daughter," she read from parent feedback, and she thanked the board and administration for ongoing support.

A resident identifying himself as Paul asked the board to investigate community concerns that certain musical programs were cut back without parent notice. "Could you look into this? They were very concerned about some musical programs being cut back and the parents were not contacted before this decision was made," he told the board, asking that parents be included in district decisions.

Rick Normandin, a public commenter, raised several items: he distributed pamphlets about the Good Samaritan Law and said that some programs allow districts to earn revenue by selling power from electric buses during low‑use periods; he also urged the district to consider improved crosswalk safety at a specific location and to provide more accessible handouts and digital materials for students with dyslexia. On accelerated math pathways, Normandin asked the district to consider leniency for students whose learning differences make certain course sequencing difficult.

Board members recorded the concerns; the board moved to executive session later in the meeting for personnel items and did not take formal action on the public comments during the session. Several comments requested follow up and further review by the administration.