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Principals report fall assessment starts, staffing gaps and transportation concerns
Summary
School principals told the Atlantic Community School District board that fall screening and NWEA/NWA results show building-level proficiencies in the mid‑60s with some grades below target; the district also reported a drop of roughly six paid positions year‑over‑year and flagged elevator, substitute and in‑town transportation issues.
School principals and staff gave the board a multi‑part update on Nov. 12 about fall assessments, staffing counts and operational barriers.
Principals reported fall screening results from FAST and NWEA/NWA that show kindergarten starting proficiency as high as 77% at one building and building‑level fall proficiencies in the upper 60s overall; the district’s working target is roughly 80% proficiency by the end of the year. One principal noted test norms were re‑set this year, which moved many students across proficiency cutoffs even where raw scores did not change.
“We screen every fall and our kindergarten is at 77% this fall — one of the best numbers we’ve ever had,” the Washington principal said, and added that literacy and decoding expectations in first grade create a different fall benchmark than kindergarten year‑end measures.
Staff and principals also reviewed noninstructional issues affecting students and staff. The district reported 273 paid positions in some capacity. The human‑resources presenter said the district is down roughly 3.8 licensed FTE and about 2.3 non‑licensed FTE compared with last year — approximately six fewer paid roles overall — with notable shortfalls in nutrition and operations/maintenance staffing.
Operational barriers discussed included a nonworking elevator at Washington that affects accessibility, intermittent internet outages in some classrooms that frustrate teachers using new online curricula, and ongoing shortages of substitutes and extracurricular staff. Transportation for some in‑town families was described as a safety and access problem (students crossing a highway; families without vehicles); staff recommended convening community partners such as SWEA and Partnership for Progress to build clearer protocols and reduce breakdowns in communication.
The board celebrated student achievements amid the operational briefings, including multiple all‑state musician recognitions and athletic playoff milestones.
What happens next: District staff will use the staff‑beds report to prioritize hiring and will convene partners to address in‑town transportation gaps; principals said midyear assessments and targeted interventions are planned to track progress toward the year‑end proficiency goal.
