At the May 12 School Committee Meeting there was discussion of the Broadmeadow School Improvement Plan, 2026-2027 Elementary, Middle, and High School Handbooks, Pollard Middle School Schematic Design Update, and the Superintendent’s 2025-2026 Evaluation Process.
School Committee Comments
- Thanks to Town Meeting for passing zoning articles to make the current Pollard design possible, as well as support for their school budget request.
Superintendent Comments
- Congratulated several Needham High School and Pollard Middle School students on their receipt of Gold and Silver keys from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Broadmeadow School Improvement Plan
Principal Andy Garlick, along with staff members, parents and student representatives Russell Howland and Louisa Woolard, presented Broadmeadow’s updated School Improvement Plan. The School Improvement Plan can be found in the packet.
Highlights include:
- The SIP covers the 2025–2028 school years and was developed by aligning community survey feedback from families and faculty with the district’s Portrait of a Needham Graduate (PONG) framework.
- The plan is organized around five PONG competencies — Creative Thinkers and Problem Solvers, Communicators and Collaborators, Socially and Culturally Responsive Contributors, Responsible and Resilient Individuals, and Empowered Learners — each with both social-emotional and academic excellence action steps, recognizing that neither can succeed without the other.
- Academic progress is strong, particularly in math and the Illustrative Math Curriculum is being implemented with fidelity in all K–5 classrooms. MCAS data can be found in the packet.
- On the literacy and technology front, a school-wide literacy pilot was completed and the ARC Literacy Program will launch in 2026–2027, while students in grades 3–5 are receiving targeted instruction in the appropriate academic use of Artificial Intelligence.
- The school is fostering an inclusive and welcoming community through explicit anti-hate speech instruction for all students in grades K–5, with 82% of students reporting a sense of belonging and 89% reporting a trusted adult at school.
The Broadmeadow Connections program is a unique offering for therapeutic learning. Themes of the Connections program are:
- Exceptional Emotional Safety & Holistic Care: Staff create a “safe and accepting environment” where students are cared for as whole people with empathy and patience.
- Families as a “True Team”: High levels of collaboration and frequent communication ensure parents feel included in every challenge and “win.”
- Flexible Support for Successful Inclusion: Individualized models provide the bridge for students to transition from specialized settings into general education classrooms.
- Integration and Community Building: Lunch groups, empathy lessons, and family events foster a deep, school-wide sense of belonging.
The program identified that a fifth-grade classroom with a Connections cohort required additional therapeutic interventions for Tiers 1-3. Instead of a single-member approach, a collaborative team provided multiple insights and a multi-modal experience for students, including weekly whole-class lessons on empathy, perspective, and the Iceberg Effect, with supplemental support in small groups and 1:1 settings
Kristen Morrill shared her family’s experience with the Connections program and the positive and lasting impact on her student.
School Committee asked questions and engaged in discussion.
Proposed Student Handbook Updates for 2026–27
Mary Lammi, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, Jessica Downey, High Rock School Principal, Tamatha Bibbo, Pollard School Principal and Aaron Sicotte, Needham High School Principal provided an update on suggested changes to the elementary, middle, and high school handbooks.
Key proposed changes include:
- Updates were made broadly to align the handbooks with DESE Integrated Monitoring Review recommendations and updated state regulations.
- The handbooks now clarify “instructional exemptions,” including families’ right to review curriculum content and opt out where instruction would substantially burden sincerely held religious beliefs, with information available from building principals.
- Physical restraint, seclusion, and time-out language was updated to comply with revised state regulations effective August 2026, with an emphasis on safety, de-escalation, and restricted use of restraint and seclusion.
- Section 504 procedures and language were revised to align with updated district internal procedures to support more consistent accommodations for students with disabilities.
- Clarifications were added to student discipline procedures, Title IX grievance procedures, and bullying prevention and intervention procedures, all stemming from the DESE compliance audit.
- The Device Acceptable Use Policy and Agreement was moved from a standalone form into the Student Handbooks to improve accessibility and centralized record-keeping.
- Links to the district website for supplemental resources were added, and minimal updates were made to Nutrition Services to reflect upcoming-year operations.
School Committee asked questions and engaged in discussion. Absenteeism was a major topic of discussion. Dr. Gutekanst noted that the district will conduct an audit during the 2026-2027 school year to help shape protocols addressing chronic student absences.
The SC will approve handbook changes at a future meeting.
Pollard Middle School Schematic Design Update
The School Committee received another update on the Pollard Middle School building project schematic design process from members of HMFH, Town Building and Design Dept, and Middle School Principals. While previous updates have focused on the whole campus layout, this update’s focus was on the inside of the school, including floor plans and classroom design.
The School Committee reviewed the current design and offered commentary on accessibility for both those with physical limitations and the general public’s use of the building as well as discussion on bathroom design and placement.
The School Committee will vote to accept the Pollard Schematic Design and submit it to the MSBA around June 16, 2026.
Superintendent Evaluation Process
Dr. Gutekanst will share his assessment of goals and achievements with the School Committee by May 22. Committee member Mike O’Brien (leading evaluation) requested that members make their assessment submission by June 9 and the evaluation will be delivered on June 16.
The next School Committee meeting will be May 19, 2026.