At the January 7 School Committee Meeting, there was discussion of the FY26 Budget Discussion on Curriculum and Literacy and continued discussion of the broader FY26 School Budget.
Public Comment
- One online participant commented on the current literacy curriculum and would like to see changes in the NPS literacy programming.
- Another online participant also expressed concern regarding our current literacy curriculum and hope to see a better option chosen in the future.
Superintendent Comments
- Dr. Gutekanst’s only comment was a reminder of the Ride Ahead film series starting on Wednesday, January 8th. A powerful short film followed by a panel discussion with community members, experts and others. The film series will run through April. 6:30pm at Newman Elementary.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
FY26 Budget Discussion: Curriculum and Literacy
The School Committee is in the midst of their budget discussion and there is currently a request for funding for a yet-to-be-determined curriculum and program for literacy instruction at the elementary level. What has been proposed in the budget is $150,000 (a beginning amount of funding for what we might need to do in subsequent years). There are many studies underway regarding literacy. Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Innovation Carmen Williams and Director of Literacy/Title 1 Lisa Messina presented some findings on these studies.
The goal of these literacy studies is to ensure that ALL students reach high levels of literacy and become proficient readers, writers and communicators.
Equity and Access for All Learners
- Align assessment, curriculum, & instruction with current Neuroscience to better meet the needs of all students, particularly those who continue to struggle in literacy.
- Align assessment, curriculum & instruction with culturally proficient, anti-racist practices; equitable outcomes for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, language, or special education status.
The Reading Rope:
Foundational Work: Aligning with the “Science of Reading” 2017-2024 IN the past NPS has made a number of changes to our literacy curriculum and instruction.
- Added a systematic phonemic program called Heggerty in K & 1
- Strengthen our fundations implementation which is our systematic phonics program
- Trying to increase our use of decodable texts and access for students to practice those phonics skills in decodable text.
- We have revamped our Tier 2 and Tier 3 support through our interventionalists. They have all been trained in structured literacy evidence based practices (Orton Gillingham) and the intervention that we have provided to the students has come a long way and has been really aligned with the science.
Now we are examining our Core Curriculum:
Assessment
- Early Literacy Screening & Comprehensive System DIBELS- 3x per year. (Previously used Early Bird and DIBELS which are both approved by the state.)
- Tracking and analyzing through ongoing assessments through Fundations.
- Analyzing the DIBELS data we have adopted a new program called BOOST reading which is an adaptive technology
- Progress monitoring of Tier 2 and Tier 3 students
Literacy Program Review:
Reading, Writing, Spelling, Phonics. Word Study 2022-Present
Goal: To ensure that we have high quality, culturally sustaining, and evidence-based curriculum, instruction, and assessments to meet the needs of all learners.
Practical:
- Current materials 8-10 years old
- Reading / writing program has been revised (new edition 2023)
- Materials need to be replaced
Philosophical/Ethical:
- Opportunity to engage in rigorous reflection, debate, and analysis of our current materials and practices in order to better meet the needs of all learners
2022-2023 PHASE 1:
PHASE 1 OUTCOMES:
2023-2024 PHASE 2:
We are currently in PHASE 3:
Initial Costs of Current Pilot Programs:
*Other ongoing costs: annual licensing fees range from $10,000 (FUNdations) to $55,000 (ARC) per year
Rubric: How are we defining quality?
Timeline:
School Committee asked many questions and engaged in a robust discussion.
Superintendent’s FY26 Budget Updated Requests
Dr Gutekanst presented an update on the FY26 School Operating Budget Request. The budget process is evolving due to new town revenue forecasts from the Town Manager. Original budget proposal that was discussed in December will have to be reduced by about $2-2.5 million dollars and how/where the budget can be adjusted is being evaluated now.
*To see a detailed breakdown of the budget please visit the Needham School Committee Meeting Packet here starting on page 53.
They will continue to work through the budget to try to find additional reductions. However, some costs (transportation, etc) cannot be adjusted as they are contractual requirements. At this time we also still have incomplete information as state budgets are not yet finalized. There are still a lot of moving parts and things may change.
Available revenue for the town is expected to be lower in part due to significantly increased health care costs and expected decreased revenues from the State. The Town Manager will be at next week’s SC meeting to discuss the town budgets and answer specific questions.
Dr Gutekanst emphasized that we are a well resourced school community and will work together to figure out these budget challenges.
If the public would like to share their thoughts on the budget there is a public hearing on the budget next Tuesday, January 14th 6:30pm at the beginning of the next School Committee meeting. Due to the evolving discussion, the budget may still be incomplete at the time of the public hearing.