Scituate School Committee Reviews Elementary Improvement Plans, Updates Policies
Elementary schools present goals focused on academic achievement, student engagement, and community initiatives
SCITUATE - June 2 - The Scituate School Committee reviews school improvement plans from the district's four elementary schools during a recent meeting that stretched over five hours. The plans, which outline goals for the 2025-2026 academic year, focus on increasing student achievement, enhancing engagement, and strengthening community connections.
Committee Chair Nicole Brandolini emphasizes the importance of partnership in the improvement process.
"We as a school committee want to feel like this is a partnership with us as well," Brandolini says. "We want to see all of these elementary schools and Gates and the High School, obviously succeeding, and improvement is something that we can all sort of agree on here as the goal."
Each elementary school presents unique goals tailored to their specific needs, though committee members note some common themes across the schools.
Hatherly School Principal Kristine Sheahan presents two goals: increasing overall achievement for all learners in ELA and math, and improving communication with stakeholders. The first goal aims for all learners to show at least 40 percent growth as measured by state and district benchmarks.
A committee member questions the bundling of math and reading in one goal.
"Having math and reading bundled in one goal is confusing," the member says. "I think they're two separate things."
Cushing School Principal Jesse Craddock presents three goals: improving student achievement, balancing digital and non-digital learning experiences, and creating more leadership opportunities for students.
Kate Martin, a fourth-grade teacher at Cushing, explains the technology balance goal stems from concerns about students' reliance on digital tools.
"In the 20 years I've been here, we went from handwriting everything to typing everything," Martin says. "What we're seeing is kids' handwriting is not as good as it used to be. They can't read their own handwriting."
Jenkins Elementary Principal Mary Oldach presents two goals: developing multi-tiered systems of support and improving the rear campus area to enhance safety for the increasing number of students who walk or bike to school.
Kate Bowler, a Jenkins parent and PTO co-chair, notes the significant interest in improving safety for walkers and bikers.
"We had a PTO meeting a few months ago about biker and walker safety concerns, and normally Jenkins PTO meetings get like seven or eight people in person. We had almost every seat filled in the Jenkins library," Bowler says.
Wampatuck Principal Tracy Riordan presents goals focused on increasing student growth percentiles and enhancing play opportunities for students.
Rachel Wessel, a Wampatuck parent, explains the play-focused goal.
"We had so many conversations this whole year about what makes kids want to come to school and want to learn, and we ultimately decided that this was the most important part to what kids experience," Wessel says.
Throughout the presentations, committee members press for more specific, measurable goals with clear connections to data.
"If these goals are too broad, they're going to be very hard to measure and provide evidence of success," a member says. "What we want as a school committee is for you all to have all of your hard work and commitment show as successes next year."
Committee members also question whether the schools are addressing the right problems, particularly noting that all four elementary schools identify student interest in learning as a challenge area according to HSA survey data.
"I think that's so important," a member says about the student interest data. "I just wonder why that's not the goal."
An administrator explains that the schools are using a new template for improvement plans that aligns with state requirements.
"There are strict regulations that govern school improvement plans," the administrator says. "There's a new template that was developed that aligns with the nine requirements."
Superintendent Bill Burkhead notes the progress made in developing these plans.
"Five years ago, we didn't have school improvement plans," Burkhead says. "We've come a long way, and now we've got a model left at DESE."
The committee does not vote on the improvement plans during the meeting, as their policy indicates the plans are submitted to the superintendent for approval after consultation with the school committee.
Other major items discussed during the meeting include:
* Elementary school handbooks for 2025-2026, with updates to policies on technology use, discipline protocols, and a new policy on plagiarism and artificial intelligence
* A presentation from Food Services Director Patrick McGarry highlighting improvements to school meals, including the introduction of salad bars, vending options, and plans to move toward more reusable serving products
* Discussion of field trip policies, with the committee agreeing to implement a two-step approval process for out-of-state trips
* Plans to conduct regular policy reviews during future meetings to ensure committee members are familiar with district policies
The committee also briefly discusses concerns about bullying policies, with members agreeing to review these policies at an upcoming meeting in response to communications from families.
editor’s note: the audio / video was particularly difficult for speaker identification in this meeting. Apologies for the general identifications.