Taconic Hills board hears multi-year restructuring plan to align instruction and student supports

Superintendent Lynette presented the district's "Big Impact / Start Small" restructuring plan, saying leaders spent the spring collecting staff and community input to identify gaps and realign roles to support students and adults.

"We said big impact because we know that the work that we've done from the spring until now will have a big impact, but it started small with conversations, building relationships, hearing from people what they need and want," Lynette said, describing a focus on clarifying priorities and creating systems rather than adding staff. The plan moves the assistant-superintendent role to oversee student support services together with curriculum and instruction to improve coordination across special education, counseling, health and academic programs.

Board members were told the restructuring included creating a supervisor of special education position; Lynette noted Melissa (supervisor of special education) "has finalized over 100 IEPs in the last 3 weeks," and the administration plans additional role adjustments to spread workload and improve supports. The district also plans ongoing, staggered professional development and embedded coaching so staff receive sustained training rather than one-off sessions.

The presentation framed the changes as groundwork for state-driven shifts in diploma pathways: presenters said Regents exams will be decoupled from the diploma by 2029 and the district wants to expand project-based learning and other pathways now so students have multiple options to demonstrate proficiency. The board asked about onboarding for midyear hires and was told coaches will facilitate side-by-side PD and that a two-day new-teacher orientation will be used ahead of the school year.

The board took no separate formal action on the plan at the meeting; presenters asked trustees to continue championing the work publicly and to support communication to families.