RPS Ready for the New School Year

Reading, MA — Superintendent of Schools Thomas Milaschewski informed the School Committee on Thursday night that Reading Public Schools (RPS) is ready for the new school year to begin. According to Milaschewski, as of the August 22 meeting, the school department still had four open teaching positions, mostly due to late resignations. He also noted that all four have candidates who have applied for the roles. There are also five open para educator positions still available.

RPS will start offering breakfast every morning in all its schools this fall, with new and varied menu items to come. Milaschewski also shared that the food service department has been recognized nationally for its summer food service program.

One hundred fifty-eight students participated in the Extended School Year program over the summer, and the summer geometry course offering was a success as well. Milaschewski reported that many staff members participated in professional development and curriculum work over the summer, and the facilities department has the buildings ready to receive students on Wednesday.

Milaschewski also asked the committee to support a one-year position for a METCO coordinator at Parker Middle School. Currently, the two middle schools share one position. The position will partially be paid for through the METCO grant and savings from the hiring of new teachers. In offering her support, School Committee member Erin Gaffen shared that this position is a “big need at Parker.”

The committee was formally introduced to four new members of the district leadership team. Jill Story will be the interim principal at Parker Middle School. She joined the staff at Parker last year as an assistant principal and holds her doctorate from Northeastern University. She shared that sixth-grade students can expect a new world languages exploratory class that will help guide them in the choice of which language to pursue in the later grades. She also reported that eighth-grade electives will no longer compete with music and art classes, allowing students to participate in more options.

Beth Simpson will be Parker’s new interim assistant principal this coming year. She has over twenty-five years of experience in education and has been a lecturer and core faculty member at the Harvard School of Education. She mentioned that her vision for education aligns with Reading’s and that, as a result, prior to being aware of the role at Parker, she had enrolled her son in RPS through Reading’s school choice program.

Alana Shone will be the interim RISE director this year. Shone previously had worked in the program from 2016 to 2023 in various roles. Milaschewski shared that she is known to be a student-centered, deeply knowledgeable professional who excels at building relationships with families.

Barbara Best will return to RPS to complete her doctoral residency. As a capstone for her program, she will lead a “strategic project.”

The School Committee voted 5-0 to accept the revisions to the Reading Memorial High School Student Handbook and the new RPS District Student Handbook. They also held a brief discussion about modifying one of Milaschewski’s goals, which related to the development of a system to capture research and best practices regarding data use.

The committee adjourned at 8:00 pm.