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Parents, students urge Kingston board for transparency on ed‑tech spending and better engagement for students with disabilities
Summary
Parents and a student representative urged the Kingston board to review educational technology spending, student‑data practices and to create listening sessions and regular reporting on special education; a parent also proposed a scaled Montessori track at George Washington Elementary.
At the Kingston City School District board meeting, multiple speakers in public comment asked trustees to increase transparency and engagement around the district’s use of educational technology and services for students with disabilities.
Meredith Gorman, a parent of two district students, told trustees, “I respectfully ask the board to consider a transparent public review of the district's educational technology spending, contracts, effectiveness measures, and student privacy protections,” and asked for clearer reporting on how much the district spends on devices, licenses and data systems and how tools are evaluated for educational impact.
Rebecca Leibovitz, a parent of three, said recent budget decisions and moves to return students to in‑district placements risk disproportionately affecting students with disabilities. She requested a listening session “where you would hear from students with disabilities directly and their parents” and asked that the special‑education department provide regular public updates at board meetings.
A student representative on the board emphasized the importance of centering student voice during transitions and recommended careful work with parents and students to ensure smooth transitions for students with IEPs and 504 plans.
Bridal Riley, a parent and district leadership team member, urged caution about organizing instruction around costly technology platforms, warning that ‘‘every new platform, assessment, data dashboard, behavioral tracking tool, subscription curriculum, and 1 to 1 device creates long term maintenance obligations, cybersecurity obligations… and governance obligations, licensing costs, replacement cycles, and administrative complexity.’’ Riley said the district should distinguish between using technology as a tool and organizing the educational system around paid technological systems.
At the second public comment period, a community member from the George Washington community proposed reconsidering a smaller, financially lean Montessori track at George Washington that would serve roughly 100 students and could reduce outside consulting and some classroom costs; the speaker said materials and staff capacity for a smaller model already exist.
Trustees acknowledged the comments and suggested staff could provide follow‑up presentations to the board or committees. No board action was taken that night on the requests; trustees and administration indicated they would follow up through committee agendas and future reports.
