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Parents and a teacher urge board to slow curriculum changes amid staffing worries
Summary
APT vice president Tiffany Catherin and public commenter Dr. John Hayden told the board rapid programmatic changes risk unintended consequences and may be discouraging experienced teachers from returning; both asked for clearer goals, timelines, and earlier teacher engagement.
Tiffany Catherin, vice president of APT, told the board the association supports careful exploration of new K–12 programming but is concerned about the pace and sequencing of recent approvals. "They are all being proposed and approved without the deep consideration necessary to identify goals and outcomes as well as logistical impacts and unintended consequences for our students," she said, urging the board to center students and include teacher voices early in implementation.
Shortly afterward, Dr. John Hayden addressed the board as a public commenter, saying he was "very confused" about recent staffing decisions and that the district appears to be losing highly qualified math and science teachers. Hayden invited board members to visit his classroom and observe instruction and innovations firsthand, arguing such visits would help trustees understand classroom realities. Trustees acknowledged the request and encouraged educators to coordinate visits.
Board members and the superintendent thanked the APT and teachers for their engagement and noted upcoming principal hiring activity and programming discussions. A board member also flagged the March 12 agenda item on cell-phone policy and a separate series of meetings on world-language offerings, signaling the district will continue deliberations on curriculum changes before full implementation.
