Superintendent outlines 2026–27 goals, reports district enrollment at 1,261

Superintendent Billy Cunningham opened the board meeting by welcoming staff, students and families and presenting the district’s priorities for the 2026–27 school year, which he summarized as “1 team, 1 vision, 1 Edgewater.” He thanked buildings and grounds staff led by Rich Gannon for summer work that prepared schools for opening and said administrators and office staff had spent the summer on enrollment, scheduling, staffing, technology and curriculum tasks.

Cunningham provided a snapshot of enrollment as of Sept. 1, 2026: GW — 396; EVG — 378; Leona Middle — 163; Leona High — 294; out‑of‑district — 30; total — 1,261 students. He said GW’s current enrollment is the highest he has seen in seven years and noted that, while GW can hold roughly 600 students, space constraints arise as specialized programs for students with disabilities require lower student‑to‑teacher ratios. “As we continue to develop programming in districts specifically for, say, special needs students, there are ratios that are associated with those particular classrooms,” Cunningham said, adding that the board must plan for possible additional sections as programs grow.

Cunningham also previewed district goals: strengthening a unified district culture, caregiver engagement, data‑driven instruction, and purposeful integration of technology alongside foundational non‑tech skill development. He said staff will receive targeted training and that district teams will work to ensure students “leave better than when they arrived.”

The superintendent’s remarks set the tone for committee reports and later conversations about hiring (an additional kindergarten teacher was discussed by the finance committee) and facilities projects intended to accommodate program growth.