The board’s decision to approve the sale of 2025D long-term facilities maintenance bonds was a major highlight. Superintendent David Law introduced the agenda item, emphasizing the cost benefits of early bidding on projects. Paul Bourgeois, the Executive Director of Finance and Operations, detailed the bond sale, highlighting the district’s AAA bond rating, which has been maintained for 15 years—a rarity among school districts. This strong rating facilitated a favorable bond sale, with an interest rate of 4.46%, lower than the anticipated 4.64%. The funds, totaling several million dollars, will be allocated towards essential maintenance projects slated for summer 2026. These projects include approximately $4.5 million for roofing, nearly $1.2 million for paving, and $3.3 million for boiler and mechanical upgrades. Bourgeois underscored the necessity of these improvements, noting that about two-thirds of the district’s space is over 60 years old, necessitating ongoing investments to maintain functionality and aesthetics.

In addition to financial matters, the board gave considerable attention to the results of the annual parent survey, which plays a critical role in informing board decisions. This survey also highlighted a strong parental endorsement for the district, with 91% of parents recommending their child’s school. There was a noted improvement in the areas of student belonging and well-being, alongside a decline in reported bullying incidents.

However, technology use remained a consistent concern among parents. While some improvement was noted in the balance students are achieving with iPads, particularly at the middle school level, elementary-level concerns about educational screen time persisted. The survey results revealed that 75% of parents were satisfied with technology use. This issue will be further discussed in upcoming meetings, particularly regarding the district’s cell phone policy and technology use expectations.

The survey also brought to light areas for potential enhancement, such as middle school academic programming and communication between school and home. Although satisfaction with communication saw a decline, parents reported a sense of safety for their children in school and improved accessibility to adults for discussing problems. There was also commendation for middle school principals’ leadership and communication skills, with 57 parents specifically praising these attributes.

The district received commendations for outstanding leadership, communication excellence, and academic opportunities, with a particular appreciation for specialized programming and school culture. Trust in the school board and district administration to act in the best interests of children saw a significant rise, with 85% of parents agreeing, a six percent increase.

The meeting also included an acknowledgment of educators receiving continuing contract status, a milestone for teachers entering their fourth year in the district. Superintendent Law congratulated these educators, highlighting the significance of this tenure process, which did not require formal board action.

In other developments, the board approved new curriculum resources in alignment with their goal of improving literacy across the district. Superintendent Law and Dr. Amy Leoo, the associate superintendent, presented the culmination of a year-long effort with the English language arts committee, which resulted in core English language arts resources that include functional phonics and morphology components, alongside the “Arts and Letters” program from Great Minds for language comprehension. An International Baccalaureate (IB) resource for the IB global politics course for the 2025-2026 school year was also approved. These materials had been available for public review throughout the summer, but no comments were received.