Northport board weighs new Director of Student Programs role and posting board packets online

The Northport Public School District Board of Education discussed creating a Director of Student Programs & Community Engagement during its Feb. 9 meeting as a way to increase participation, establish a single point of contact for parents and community partners (including the PTO, NPAC, library and LIFT), and streamline communications. Board members emphasized the intent to avoid overburdening current staff.

Jamie Scripps proposed making board packet materials available to the public via the district website prior to meetings, citing transparency and easier public access. In public comment, Laura Cavendish (PTO) requested that public comment also be included at the end of work sessions and expressed interest in more personalized parent communications; Eric Potes urged focus on enrollment growth and suggested the new position could bridge PTO and district efforts; Kali Dignan expressed support for an Athletic Director/Extracurricular Coordinator and thanked Scripps for advocating posting packets. Steve Hoskins noted improvements in calendar postings and social media communications.

Superintendent Neil Wetherbee reported that the existing LIFT contract remains in place through the end of the year and will be renegotiated thereafter when asked by Jamie Scripps. No formal motion to create the new position was made during the meeting, and the board did not adopt a policy change or set a hiring timeline; the discussion was recorded as a planning item for future consideration.

Next steps indicated by board discussion include further development of goals for the proposed position (increase participation, single-point contact, community coordination) and follow-up on how posting board materials could be operationalized on the district website.