Board narrows focus to early‑grade literacy, staff retention and mental‑health supports as district goals

Board members spent an extended portion of the meeting debating what should be the district’s top priorities for the 2026 calendar year. Several trustees urged that the board’s primary instructional goal focus on early‑grade literacy and second‑grade readiness; board member Sue Boley presented state data showing a growth in reading risk between pre‑K and second grade and proposed SMART targets (a 5% improvement in math readiness and a 3% improvement in reading readiness for pre‑K through second grade as examples).

Board members also emphasized staff recruitment and retention and staff morale as a priority. "We need to think about recruitment and retention and staff morale and satisfaction," a board member said, noting those efforts affect classroom stability.

Several trustees raised social‑emotional and mental‑health supports for middle‑school students as another candidate goal area; members suggested metrics such as student surveys and counselor caseload tracking to measure progress.

Finance and facilities concerns were repeatedly raised as context: trustees noted that facilities deferred‑maintenance and funding uncertainties may constrain what the district can implement, and they asked leadership to consider cost implications when drafting SMART objectives. The leadership team offered to synthesize the board’s broad priorities and return with draft SMART goals for the board to refine.

Next steps: staff will draft goal language from the board’s input and circulate proposed SMART goals in advance of the next meeting for further refinement and adoption.