Superintendent presented the Newington Public Schools strategic plan for 20242027 at the Oct. 29 meeting and reviewed student-performance gains, program expansions and instructional priorities.

The Superintendent said the district's priorities are culturally responsive teaching, academic rigor and social-emotional learning. She highlighted recent results: grade 5 and grade 8 ELA and math performance were the highest since 2018 in several grades; participation in Advanced Placement (AP) exams and students scoring 3 or higher are at historic highs; and the district reported measurable gap closures on state assessments in multiple subgroups.

District program updates included a school-based health center that provides no-cost primary and behavioral health visits (the center reported more than 50 students seen by an APRN and more than 340 visits for behavioral health last year), expansion of prekindergarten enrollment, the Nor'easter Afternoon Academy that delivered more than 100 credits last year to students at risk of falling behind, and a new bilingual program at John Wallace for a growing Spanish-speaking population.

On artificial intelligence, the Superintendent said the district circulated guidance on approved, vetted AI tools for specific instructional uses and data analysis but clarified: "We are not endorsing that kids use AI throughout the school day." She described uses the district supports, including generating practice items for reteaching, speech-to-text and translation supports for diverse learners, and data analysis tools for teachers. The Superintendent said teachers are receiving training on academic honesty and how to identify material that appears to be AI-generated.

Regarding accelerated math and scheduling, the Superintendent told the board staff are running schedule simulations that could allow Bridge to Algebra to be offered during the school day at middle school, removing the burden of out-of-school participation. She also said parents can recommend students for the Bridge to Algebra program.

The Superintendent provided demographic and enrollment context: free-and-reduced-lunch eligibility is approaching 38 percent; multilingual and special-education populations have increased; and the district now enrolls more than 140 open-choice students reimbursed by the state. The superintendent said these shifts are informing instructional supports and resource planning.

Board members and administrators discussed next steps including schedule simulations, ongoing PLC work for teacher collaboration, and continued transparency on budgets and enrollment.