Superintendent outlines academic priorities, safety upgrades and operations changes

Superintendent Cleo Perry presented the district's mid-year priorities and instructional vision at the March 13 meeting, emphasizing an essential goal to increase proficiency in ELA and math through differentiated, standards-aligned instruction and regular classroom walkthroughs.

Key academic items included spring 2025 LEAP testing scheduled April 29–May 7, ACT testing dates and a Pre-ACT for sophomores (April 26), and a continued focus on HQIM implementation and progress monitoring. The district reported 743 walkthroughs and specific graduate counts for two high schools. Federal Programs announced it had submitted and received approval for a High-Cost Services grant to reimburse high-cost expenditures for students with disabilities; the district had not applied for these funds since FY2019.

Operational and safety notes included a move from SchoolDude to FMX for work-order management (FMX introductory pricing and an estimated $38,225 cost to implement a School Cash platform if adopted), testing Samsara equipment on three buses and two district vehicles, live bus video and GPS updates, fencing projects completed at ESJP, ECW and LES, and conditional approval for funding 11–15 new metal detectors.

Upcoming calendar items announced included a three-hour early dismissal March 18, active-shooter training with partner GOSEPH on March 18 and April 8, Special Olympics dates, and other staff and committee meeting dates.