Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget Middle School topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Middle school seeks robotics kits, 3D‑printer supplies and expanded reading support
Summary
The middle‑school presentation requested more robotics kits and 3D‑printer consumables, a Generation Genius science subscription, Padlet Pro for classroom collaboration, and a move from a 0.5 to 1.0 reading specialist to address post‑pandemic literacy needs.
Mrs. Kurt Horton presented the middle‑school budget and said her team is working to align secondary offerings across the middle and high schools.
Horton described digital subscriptions currently in use (IXL, Newsela, Edpuzzle) and requested additional VEX/EV3 robotics kits so students can complete build‑and‑program cycles within class periods. She said the district received a career grant but that only 30% of that grant may be spent on supplies and materials; the remainder is restricted to curriculum work and staff professional development.
Horton identified 3D‑printer needs at the middle school — filament and replacement extruder parts for MakerBot machines donated by the PTO — and characterized those items as recurring consumables necessary for continued student use.
She proposed buying a Generation Genius science subscription to provide standards‑based videos, readings and assessments districtwide, and requested a Padlet Pro license to offer a richer collaborative whiteboard than the basic Google Jamboard tools.
On staffing, Horton said she plans to shift a 0.4 world‑history role into a humanities position to cover sixth‑grade instructional needs without losing ELA or history contact time, and requested increasing the reading specialist from 0.5 to 1.0 FTE to meet literacy demands. Committee members asked clarifying questions about class sizes, the schedule format (no return to the A/B hybrid schedule was planned next year) and which positions would cover special‑education curriculum conversations.
Horton closed by noting expected incoming class sizes and that some positions and materials would be shared with the high school to preserve district alignment; there was no committee vote on her requests during the workshop.
