Board of Education — March 23, 2026

The Board held a moment of silence to acknowledge the passing of Jaden Strickland, a Manchester High School student from the class of 2027.

The Board reviewed and approved the meeting minutes from March 9, 2026.

Discussion regarding Head Start funding, clarifying that Manchester acts as the lead fiscal agent for both Manchester and Enfield.

Review of recent retirements and resignations, including roles at Buckley, Replank, Illing, the High School, and Bentley.

Students shared updates on the Go Baby Go STEM project, recent talent shows, winter sports achievements (track, wrestling, and cheer), and a student science research project.

A detailed presentation of student performance data across reading (IXL, ARC, EL) and math (IXL, FIABs), enrollment demographics, ninth-grade on-track rates, chronic absenteeism, and student discipline.

Discussion regarding student fluency in math, specifically the challenges students face with non-metric conversions, vocabulary, and the intentionality of complex question framing in Smarter Balanced (SBAC) assessments.

The board discussed the history of high-dose math tutoring, the potential for using high school students as paid tutors, and the implementation of a pilot SAT prep program on Wednesday afternoons.

A discussion on using demographic data to identify barriers to student success, arguing that academic enrollment (e.g., AP Calculus) and discipline rates (e.g., suspensions) should ideally reflect the district's overall population demographics.

Discussion on the importance of teachers building relationships with students and how student mobility (moving in/out of the district) affects the ability to track and support long-term growth.

Discussion on managing chronic absenteeism by reallocating student engagement specialists and reading consultants based on student need and data, noting that out-of-school suspensions contribute to absenteeism numbers.