At the October 7 School Committee Meeting there was a Literacy Update, a Pollard Building Project Feasibility Study Update, and discussion of the Superintendent’s 2025-2026 Performance Goals.
watch meeting >
Superintendent’s Comments
- Congratulations to NHS Senior Isabel Tashie who was named a National Youth Ambassador for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
- Congratulations to the 20 NHS Seniors who were named National Merit Scholar Commended Students
- High Rock has been named a School of Recognition for Growth on MCAS. Congratulations to Principal Downey & all the High Rock Teachers & Staff.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Literacy Update
Dr. Carmen Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction & Innovation and K-8 Literacy Director Lisa Messina presented an update on the multi-year Literacy program review & current Elementary Literacy pilot.
- Currently Piloting 3 Elementary Literacy Programs with the goal of selecting the core program that will most likely lead to better outcomes for all students and help close opportunity gaps.
- Last year, after extensive evaluation & data collection, ARC, Fishtank & Collaborative Literacy were chosen for this year’s pilot.
- All 3 programs meet the educational standards and have been reviewed favorably by either CURATE or Reading League, so no matter which program a student is using this year, they will receive strong literacy education.
- Staff are very dedicated to this pilot implementation – 109 teachers and 12 Literacy Coaches participated in Professional Development over the summer.
- What do we need to determine this year?
- All 3 programs provide a comprehensive literacy program, but in different ways. Some of these include:
- Currently collecting evidence & feedback and analyzing assessment data. Plan to announce final decision in early 2026, with rollout of the chosen program in Fall 2026
School Committee expressed their appreciation for the robust pilot process and engaged in questions and discussion.
Pollard Building Project Feasibility Study Update
Dr Gutekanst presented an update on the Pollard Building Project Feasibility Study.
The designers have come up with some design revisions for possible new construction options at the Pollard & DeFazio Sites. These were presented to the Permanent Public Building Committee (PPBC) and School Building Committee (SBC) at their meeting last night. For more detailed information on this discussion, please watch the PPBC meeting recording.
- Pollard Site (some designs would require 2 phases which extends the timeline for completion of the auditorium space)
- DeFazio Site (one option requires a land swap with Parks & Recreation, the other does not but would displace the DPW yard and it is not clear where would be relocated).
Why do NPS Teachers & Staff support building a 6-8 School?
- The Community is encouraged to participate in the Pollard Project discussion by attending upcoming meetings, e-mailing their thoughts & questions, and following the Pollard Project website updates.
School Committee asked questions and engaged in discussion. Highlights include:
- Pollard site topography is challenging due to slope, wetlands/flooding concern and small site requiring a 4 story building; architects & other professionals on the PPBC expressed significant concerns about the challenges of this site at their meeting yesterday.
- DeFazio site is challenging due to the need for a jurisdictional land swap with some of Parks & Rec land which would require town meeting & state legislative approval.
Superintendent’s 2025-2026 Performance Goals
Dr. Gutekanst developed his goals based on the district’s strategic plan, School Committee Feedback, and conversations with School Leadership team. Detailed goals can be found in the packet. Brief Highlights for 3 Main Areas of Focus:
- Professional Practice
- assist in the development of our leaders, especially school principals and central office admin team.
- Increased efforts to use & understand data
- Set a target to reduce Chronic Absenteeism by 10%
- Student Learning
- Provide the space, resources, time, and guidance that the Literacy Team needs to make sure that a new Elementary Literacy program can be chosen by the end of the school year, and then provide implementation training & support for teachers
- Identify and tackle learning and discipline gaps with new tools & interventions
- Continue to use Social-Emotional Learning data & tools to make improvements in student belonging, agency & voice
- District Improvement
- Pollard Feasibility – goal to submit a preferred schematic report in December
- Provide appropriate support & guidance to School Committee Negotiation teams to settle competitive new contracts for Unit B (Administrative Staff), Unit C (instructional assistants), Unit D (clerical & technical staff), and Unit E (Nutrition services staff) this year.
ACTION ITEMS
FY27-31 Capital Improvements Program Requests
A few adjustments from previous presentation:
- At the SC’s request, after discussions with the building department, they think they will be able to restore the original schedule for NHS Auditorium Improvements, rather than the delayed schedule presented previously.
- Technology replacement request has been increased slightly to add exterior security cameras at Eliot, Broadmeadow, Mitchell, Newman & Pollard which would complete exterior camera installation at all schools.
Dr Gutekanst recommended that the School Committee approve the FY 27-31 Capital Improvement Program Requests as submitted. After questions & discussion, the SC approved this on a 5-0-0 Roll Call Vote (Michael O’Brien & Matt Spengler were not present for this meeting).
School Committee Comments
- Special Town Meeting on October 20, 2025
- October is Dyslexia Awareness Month; Needham Public Library has a curated selection of books and a special presentation on Monday October 27 at 7pm.
The next School Committee Meeting will be October 21 at 6:30pm.