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Winthrop Public Schools outlines literacy push, ESSA budget and preliminary NWEA results
Summary
District leaders presented FY27 ESSA allocations (about $256,000) and proposed using funds for a literacy consultant, learning lab staffing, summer programs and Title I supports; preliminary NWEA data showed mixed trends prompting summer data review and targeted interventions.
Winthrop Public Schools on Tuesday presented its FY27 ESSA (Title I, II, IV, V) allocations and a districtwide literacy plan that includes hiring an external literacy consultant and increasing targeted intervention work.
Director of Teaching and Learning Megan White told the board the district’s federal allocations will remain largely flat year over year at roughly $256,000. “This coming school year, we are staying relatively flat with our awards ... the total amount that Winthrop has been allocated is a little bit above $256,000,” White said, describing planned uses including consultant support for research-based literacy practices, learning lab salaries, Title I family involvement programming, and summer reading efforts.
Why it matters: Administrators said literacy was a district priority after data review showed some grade spans and cohort groups had declines or variability in percentile-band performance on NWEA/benchmark assessments. The district plans a summer data dive and a focused workshop day in November to help teachers analyze data and develop an instructional plan for next year.
What the data show: Presenters described that third through fifth grades generally remained above target thresholds (percent above the 40th percentile), while early grades and certain cohorts showed concerning shifts into lower percentiles that warrant targeted intervention. Middle school leaders also described implementing active-reading strategies across subjects and piloting universal screening and progress monitoring at that level.
Administrators’ response and next steps: Building principals said they will continue progress monitoring through RTI structures, expand parent-facing Title I events that teach interactive read-aloud and home strategies, and add universal screening at the middle school to align progress monitoring with elementary practices. The district plans to use some ESSA funds this summer to contract a literacy consultant; the exact scope of that contract will be set after an August data review.
Fiscal context: Superintendent Dr. Foley reported that the district anticipates closing the fiscal year with approximately a 2% positive balance and an undesignated fund balance of about $150,000, up from zero last year. Administrators said some staffing adjustments were made to move portions of interventionist salaries to the regular budget to ensure classroom coverage when intervention staff are pulled to fill vacancies.
What’s next: District leaders will continue a summer review of assessment data, convene an August retreat to set priorities, and return to the board with a more detailed implementation plan for the consultant work and any adjustments to Title-funded projects.
