Plans to spend $6.9 million in additional state education money during the next school year requires input from families and faculty alike, bringing several meetings beginning this week.
Public input on the Massachusetts Student Opportunity Act money will be gathered into a three-year plan to address disparities in student outcomes. The first plan is due to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by April 1.
A Special Education Parent Advisory Council forum with school Superintendent Margaret Marotta takes place Wednesday, March 4, 6 p.m., in the conference room across from the main office at Haverhill High School, 137 Monument St. The forum is geared to special education parents, guardians, and caregivers.
Increased state money is aimed especially at those school districts with a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students and English Language Learners.
Next Monday, March 9, educators have their say at a dinner forum “designed to help define educational priorities in Haverhill.” According to a joint statement from the Haverhill Education Association and the superintendent’s office, “When this bill was filed, HEA members, together with their MTA sisters and brothers across the state, became engaged like never before and proved to be a catalyst for this historic investment in public education.”
Spending may be geared to expanded learning time, increased opportunity for common planning time, social services to support students’ social-emotional and physical health, hiring school personnel that best support improved student performance, increased or improved professional development, purchase of curriculum materials and equipment aligned with the statewide frameworks, expanding early education and pre-kindergarten programming, diversifying the educator and administrator workforce and developing additional pathways to strengthen college and career readiness
The faculty meeting takes place Monday, March 9, 4:30 p.m., at the Haverhill High School Library.