Foxborough leaders present five-year 'Plan for Success'; Otis assessment, staffing gaps and mental-health partnerships highlighted

District leadership presented the Foxborough Public Schools' five-year "Plan for Success" on June 10, laying out three focus areas — learning and leading; supporting the whole child; and safe, innovative, inclusive schools — and explaining how school improvement plans translate the district priorities into building-level goals.

"This is our plan of where we look for opportunities for improvement," Superintendent Dr. Berto told the committee as she introduced the districtwide framework and the school-level plans principals presented later in the evening. Under the first focus area, the district said it will continue science-of-reading professional development, expand Project Lead The Way and innovation pathways (including a recently designated manufacturing pathway at the high school), and adopt a new assessment platform, Otis, to support data-driven MTSS implementation and a graduate portfolio.

District leaders also flagged operational and staffing challenges. Presenters said the district is down two elementary Spanish teachers and is having difficulty hiring certified part-time world-language instructors; as a temporary response the district is exploring a pilot STEM position focused on third and fourth grades while recruiting. Officials said the staffing shortage is contractual in part (prep-period obligations) and that multiple postings for certified Spanish teachers have not produced hires.

Mental-health partnerships and social-emotional supports were a second major emphasis. The district highlighted continued work from the Walker report recommendations, an expanded peer-mediation program at the middle and high schools, and ongoing partnerships such as Care Solace to connect families with mental-health resources. Principals described building-level plans that prioritize literacy screeners, project-based learning, and targeted professional development for educational assistants.

Facilities and systems work also featured in the presentation: the district is moving forward with capital-improvement planning that includes a potential turf replacement for the San Burns field at Foxborough High School, library refreshes, and continued technology refreshes (including 68 interactive displays installed this year). District staff said they are preparing MSBA documentation for the Taylor School (enrollment projections and module work due July 30) and are implementing Helios, a human-resources platform, to consolidate onboarding/offboarding and staff professional-development records.

Committee members asked about how AI instruction is being addressed; presenters said an AI curriculum for ninth grade focused on ethical and classroom uses has been developed and presented this year and will expand to 10th grade. Leaders said the state noticed the high school's AI work and invited staff to present at a statewide conference.

Next steps: district staff will post the plan and school improvement plans on the district website, continue hiring and staffing work this summer (postings close June 16 for a noted opening), and work with principals on operationalizing targeted MTSS activities using Otis in the coming school year.