Superintendent Provides Midyear Goals Review

Superintendent Christian Bowen provided a midyear review of progress made toward achieving the five goals Huntington School Board members set for the 2023/24 school year.

The Huntington Board of Education includes President Xavier Palacios, Vice President Michele Kustera, Christine Biernacki, Kelly Donovan, Bill Dwyer, Thomas Galvin and Theresa Sullivan. Joanne Miranda is the district clerk.

Mr. Bowen outlined each of the five goals and the progress made to date toward meeting them during a public meeting of trustees this past Monday night in the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School auditorium.

The review of goals included:

1. Engage in an ongoing review of best practices and research related to district and school safety measures.

• Enhanced camera and door system, exterior strobe lights, protective film on windows and lockdown buttons

• Increased security at evening events

• Proactive response to recent events

• Insurances, driver abstracts and inspection for all coach bus field trips

• Professional development and ongoing collaboration with the Suffolk County Police Department and US Homeland Security

2. Preserve the district’s commitment to enhancing its culture of appreciation for the diverse nature of our school district community and its students through alignment of curriculum and instruction, recruiting and hiring practices and professional development.

• Equity action teams

• Active participation in the Anti-Bias Task Force

• Approximately half of hired staff for the 2023/24 school year have been from diverse backgrounds

• Committed to an upcoming diversity fair

• Quality Teaching for English Learners partnership and lead trainers

3. Implement and evaluate programs that support the social and emotional well-being of our students and staff to build upon interpersonal connections and create a nurturing environment throughout the district.

• Professional development on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

• Restorative practices expansion

• Home visits to help students connect with school

• Establishment of district-wide social and emotional learning committee

• Climate survey of students, parents and staff

• Strong Connections grant recipient

4. Utilize student data for the purpose of developing actionable items designed to address learning gaps and to promote both growth and achievement on an individualized basis.

• Principals, directors and chairs ongoing analysis of data

• Grade level articulation after three benchmark windows

• Implementation of Number Worlds RtI Math Intervention Program

• Increase opportunities for Advanced Placement courses

• Exploration of new ELA program for K-6 (September 2024)

5. Continue to increase measures that promote comprehensive parent/guardian engagement and a welcoming environment in all district schools.

• Weekly messages by principals via Parent Square

• Recent upgrade of Parent Square to include communities and documents

• Parent engagement nights at all district buildings crafted by shared decision making teams

• Facilitated workshops for eSchool and Parent Square

• Increased translations of signage and utilization of translation services