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Sto‑Rox Superintendent Says District Is Moving Out of Financial Recovery as Academic Interventions Expand
Summary
Superintendent Sonia Coleman told the Sto‑Rox SD board the district has reduced the proposed millage increase, widened academic interventions and completed 64 of 200 recovery‑plan tasks, while flagging $8 million in needed repairs at the junior/senior high school.
Sonia Coleman, superintendent of Sto‑Rox School District, told the board during an annual review that the district is stabilizing its finances and sharpening academic supports after a year of staff and systems changes.
Coleman said the district brought several previously outsourced central‑office roles back in‑house, tightened budget review practices and reduced a preliminary 1.0‑mill proposed tax request to a recommended 0.5‑mill increase in the final proposed budget. "We also moved away in January preliminarily… the final proposed budget is recommending half of that .5 mil," she said, framing the change as a smaller burden on district taxpayers.
Why it matters: Coleman linked fiscal stability directly to classroom outcomes. She said the district did not need state ‘‘empowerment’’ dollars for the first time since the 2018–19 school year and emphasized that increased transparency and new budget review processes are intended to let principals and budget managers better control spending.
The superintendent described academic changes the board should expect to see continue next year: a newly codified K–12 instructional framework, unit plans supplied to teachers, expanded dual‑enrollment partnerships and district‑wide ELA and math interventions. "We implemented interventions for ELA and reading as well as math," Coleman said, noting those efforts have begun closing gaps in several grade bands.
Coleman also flagged facilities and staffing needs. She said the junior/senior high school has “$8 million in repairs that need to happen” and laid out a tiered capital‑planning approach. On staffing, she reported six current vacancies unrelated to newly created special‑education positions and cited a retention rate reported at 88% with a goal to reach 95% next school year.
Recovery plan progress: Coleman recapped the district's revised recovery plan: 200 tasks tracked by a new system, of which she said 64 are complete, 132 are in progress, three are not started and one needs attention. "We now have a tracker. Every department head… will present on how they're doing with the tracker and what is the evidence to support the work," she said.
On safety and school climate, Coleman said survey results show middle‑ and high‑school students still perceive safety and climate issues and recommended expanding social‑emotional and restorative practices. She also highlighted reductions in disciplinary incidents and suspensions at the high school level compared with the previous year and reported zero expulsions this year.
Coleman framed a small enrollment uptick as meaningful: she said the district gained roughly 20 students since May, calling that increase important to long‑term financial stability. She closed by thanking teachers, staff, families and board members and asked the board for continued focus on codifying MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Support), finalizing the strategic plan and maintaining the three‑year path out of financial recovery.
The board did not take new policy action during the presentation; Coleman invited questions and the meeting proceeded to the agenda review and consent items.
