Parents and teachers urge charter options and more classroom supports as board clarifies retention policy

Several parents, teachers and community members used the public‑comment period to press the board on school choice and classroom supports before the board took several budget and policy votes.

"Charter schools are still public schools. They're held accountable to the state, open to all students and funded with public dollars," said Kristen Bennett, a Centerville parent who urged the board to consider charter options as another pathway for families. Christina Palmer, a parent, also backed a proposed classical charter and urged more direct classroom support — noting elementary classrooms operating at roughly 25 students per teacher and calling paraprofessionals a tier‑1 prevention strategy.

Later in the meeting Bridget Passon, English language arts supervisor (grades 3–12), led the second read of the district's promotion and retention policy and clarified a technical point after consulting the State Department: tier 2 or tier 3 interventions count as the required supports when a parent wishes to promote a fourth grader who lacks a 'good‑cause' exemption. "Tier 2 or tier 3 interventions count as one of those supports," Passon said, adding the district is coordinating summer and before/after school options and said budget planning anticipates the needed interventions through 2028.

Board members and staff also discussed how tiered interventions work in practice: tier 1 is universal instruction, tier 2 provides targeted small‑group support and tier 3 is the most intensive individualized instruction. Staff told the board that tier 2 remains teacher‑led within classrooms and that the district intends to fund additional tier 3 reading specialists if the proposed budget is approved.

The public‑comment remarks and the retention policy clarification will factor into upcoming budget conversations, board members said, as they consider funding for reading specialists and other classroom supports.