Huntington BOE hears midyear strategic-plan progress on academics, student experience and restorative practices
Loading...
Summary
Administrators presented midyear progress on Huntington’s 2025–26 strategic goals: curriculum alignment and project-based learning, AI-focused professional development, PBIS and restorative practices expansion, and family-engagement work. The board received data from walkthroughs and plans for further curriculum writing and parent book talks.
The Huntington Union Free School District presented a midyear review of its 2025–26 strategic plan at the Feb. 9 board meeting, detailing progress on academic excellence, student experience, operations and family and community engagement.
Mr. Cusack opened the academic portion of the presentation, describing alignment work for the intermediate schools (Jack Abrams and Woodhall), expanded project-based learning initiatives and curriculum-writing projects scheduled for this summer. He noted the district has collected 231 administrator 'walkthrough' data points for midyear review and is using those trends to target professional development in instructional clarity, questioning and engagement. "We will empower all students with foundational and advanced skills," Mr. Cusack said when summarizing the academic goal.
Curriculum changes in development include infusing five required personal-finance areas into existing middle- and high-school courses (budgeting and money management; credit and debt; earning income; risk management; saving and investing) to meet New York State requirements, together with additions such as introductory digital journalism, AP/college physics and cybersecurity options.
Administrators described a multi-phase professional-development program on artificial intelligence: early sessions to familiarize staff with tools (examples cited were Magic School and Gemini), followed by fall training to teach teachers how to guide students to use AI ethically in learning contexts.
The student-experience section highlighted positive-behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) in every building, restorative-practices leadership by district staff and a parent-and-staff book-talk series funded by state grant support (the district plans book talks on The Anxious Generation). The district also reported partnerships and coaching supports (Harmony, Ignite Ed) and said staff who were trained in the QTEL instructional framework are now acting as peer trainers.
Family and community engagement items included successful parent-engagement nights across primary schools, improved results on the parent-climate survey, increased recruiting activities at regional college career fairs and a move to digitize onboarding for new hires to streamline compliance.
Board members responded with questions about the delivery of personal-finance standards and the timing of planned curriculum approvals; administrators said personal-finance material is expected to be infused in middle-school social studies and high-school economics rather than requiring a standalone course.
The board did not vote on substantive changes at the Feb. 9 meeting; the presentation signaled curricular items and PD plans the administration expects to bring forward for approval in coming meetings.
Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this report are identified by name only where the meeting transcript provided names.
