Abington Schools Secure $293,600 State Literacy Grant
Contract Agreements Approved for Support Staff
ABINGTON - August 26 - The Abington School Committee approved three new contract agreements for support staff unions and received news that the district was awarded a substantial state grant for literacy curriculum improvements as schools prepare to open for the 2025-26 academic year.
The Full Story
Superintendent Dr. Felicia Moschella announced that Abington Public Schools was selected as one of only 29 districts statewide to receive funding from the $9.3 million PRISM 2 literacy grant program. The district's award of $293,600 will support a comprehensive review and potential adoption of new English Language Arts curriculum for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christopher Basta explained that the grant provides coaching support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to guide the district through a systematic curriculum evaluation process. "The grant pays for several parts of the process, including the coaching, substitute coverage for teachers when we need to pull curriculum council members together during the school day, and then the largest portion of the grant will pay for up to 50% of a curriculum adoption," Basta said.
The curriculum selection process must be completed within the current school year, with implementation planned for the 2026-27 academic year. The district will be required to choose from programs that meet DESE's established criteria and are rated through the state's Curate system.
In other major business, the School Committee unanimously approved three separate contract agreements negotiated over the summer with support staff unions. The agreements cover the Abington Cafeteria Association, Custodians Association, and Maintenance Association, with all contracts running from fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2028.
Committee member Pam Neely, who participated in the negotiations, expressed satisfaction that all parties reached agreement. "I'm just satisfied that everyone's happy," Neely commented during the meeting.
The committee also approved two new job descriptions, including amendments to the head custodian position at 201 Gliniewicz Way to include operations manager responsibilities, and the creation of a new night lead custodian position to provide oversight of evening custodial staff.
As the district prepares to welcome students back, Dr. Moschella reported that staffing levels are at 98 percent capacity, with only a few paraprofessional positions and an English Learner director position remaining unfilled. Dr. Robbins will serve as interim EL director while the search continues.
The district will continue its successful cell phone policy district-wide, with complete restrictions during school hours at the elementary and middle school levels, and limitations during instructional time at the high school level.
Director of Finance and Operations Sarah Gainey provided updates on transportation logistics, noting that approximately 1,300 students will be transported this year. For the first time, the district has established a waiting list for middle school bus transportation, with about 20 students currently waiting for available seats.
"Our first and main priority is getting new students, new families to Abington on the bus for those who need it," Gainey explained. The district reached out to current middle school families to identify any students who no longer need transportation, helping to create additional availability.
Summer facilities work was completed across all buildings, with extensive cleaning, maintenance, and improvements conducted by custodial and maintenance staff. Gainey praised the work of head custodians Jason Linn and Eddie Belcher, along with their teams, noting that buildings were "sparkling" during recent tours.
The district's extended school year program for special education students served 128 participants across grades pre-K through 10, with 23 certified staff and 25 paraprofessionals providing support. The program ran for 16 days in July, focusing on preventing regression and promoting readiness for the upcoming school year.
Professional development efforts kicked off with district-wide training on a new communication platform called Rooms, which will provide unified messaging between teachers and families with automatic translation capabilities. The platform replaces multiple different communication apps previously used across grade levels.
The committee approved 18 home education program requests that were reviewed and recommended by administrative staff.
Why It Matters
The PRISM 2 literacy grant represents a significant investment in early childhood education that could improve reading outcomes for hundreds of students annually. The funding will help the district adopt evidence-based curriculum materials without placing the full financial burden on local taxpayers. Meanwhile, the approved contract agreements ensure stability for essential support staff who maintain school facilities, provide food services, and keep buildings operational throughout the academic year.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Approve recommended home education programs for 2025-26 school year. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:18:35 - 0:18:39)
Motion: Approve head custodian/operations manager and night lead custodian job descriptions as amended. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:20:21 - 0:20:24)
Motion: Approve Abington Cafeteria Association contract for FY26-FY28. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:21:20 - 0:21:25)
Motion: Approve Abington Custodians Association contract for FY26-FY28 as amended. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:22:19 - 0:22:22)
Motion: Approve Abington Maintenance Association contract for FY26-FY28. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:22:50 - 0:22:54)
Motion: Approve updates to school handbook language as recommended by Mass. Association of School Committees. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:23:50 - 0:23:54)
What's Next
The next School Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in the Abington Middle High School Library. The district begins the 2025-26 school year on Wednesday, August 27, with kindergarten and pre-K students starting on Wednesday, September 3. The PRISM 2 literacy grant work will begin immediately with DESE coaching support.
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