Welcome Letter 2025-26

                    August 18, 2025

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

As the days of summer 2025 wind down, I hope that everyone is able to enjoy the beautiful weather and create lasting memories with family and friends. It's been a treat to have our student-athletes and marching band back on campus, and we're so excited to welcome new and returning students for all the walk-through tours and orientations as we gear up for a fantastic new school year.

As we focus upon the start of the 2025-26 school year I write to offer a few reminders and important updates:

Thursday, September 4, 2025 is our first day 

of school for students (grades 1-12)

PreK & Kindergarten Orientation is on September 4th and 5th

Monday, September 8, 2025 is our first day 

for PreK and Kindergarten students

Throughout the year we will also be offering many opportunities for learning together through our ongoing Family University series. Our first event of the year is a Welcome for New Families and will take place on August 20, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the Distance Learning Lab/Virtual. Registration is required and a virtual link will be shared with those who register: https://forms.gle/pryQxoDkjvfYX9fM6

Later this week Mr. Sean Killeen, our Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and our leadership team will welcome our new staff for orientation.

We are also extremely excited to welcome two new principals this year to join our administrative team. Dr. Miriam Meyer has joined us as a new leader for North Reading High School and Mrs. Julie Fahey has taken the helm at the Little School. They join our tremendous group of veteran leaders, including Mr. Michael Maloney at the Batchelder, Dr. Glen McKay at the Hood, and Dr. Cathy O’Connell at the Middle School.

As always, I would like to offer a sincere thank you to Mr. Sonny Campagna and our incredible Facilities team who have once again done an amazing job preparing our school buildings and grounds for the upcoming year. The Digital Learning team, under the leadership of our new Coordinator of Digital Learning, Mr. Jim Sgroi, has also worked throughout the summer to update our devices and prepare the classrooms for the return of our students and educators. He has also been leading a refresh of our school and district websites (coming soon!) In a similar way, Mr. Chuck Campobasso, our new Director of Athletics and Student Activities, has worked so hard to improve our processes and practices. We appreciate the tremendous work of all of the staff who accomplished all of these behind-the-scenes tasks during the summer months!

Thank you to our administration and the educators who led our extended year programs and academies for students. Our Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Mr. Michael Connelly, and Director of Student Services, Mrs. Cynthia Conant, along with their teams, have put in many hours throughout the summer to prepare us for the upcoming year. Mrs. Morgan Soares, our Human Resources Administrator, has worked closely with our principals to finalize the hiring of staff to fill all of our vacancies.

This summer our leadership team met to build our new district strategy for improvement, NRPS 2030. I look forward to providing updates on our work in the coming weeks and to share the final plan this fall.

As you are aware, budget cuts were implemented for the 2025-26 school year that have impacted class sizes, left key positions unfilled, and eliminated some important programs and supports for our students. As a district we will always find a way to move forward, despite these ongoing budget challenges, and we will continue to communicate critical financial updates to our community as we recognize the needs for the upcoming fiscal year 2027.

School Safety

The primary goal of our schools is providing the safest and most supportive learning environment for all students. This year we will continue to implement several action steps in cooperation with the North Reading Police and Fire Departments.

As always, our School Resource Officer will be present in our schools and provide our students with a positive connection to law enforcement on a regular basis. In addition, we will continue to have an increased presence of patrol officers who will continue to familiarize themselves with our school buildings, staff, and students as they routinely visit our schools in coordination with the building administration in order to provide enhanced visibility, security, and accountability for our emergency operations plans. 

Our school safety team, composed of members of the school, police, and fire departments, met over the summer to revisit and update our school emergency operations plans. We have developed a schedule of fire and evacuation drills, as well as ALICE training for staff and students. While this schedule does not provide the exact dates and times of each drill or training it communicates a plan for the year and the windows for when drills will occur in order to provide an opportunity for families, students, and staff to better understand our proactive approach for school safety. This will also provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to inquire with specific questions related to these drills and training in a timely manner.

ALICE Training and Drill Timeline

2025-26

• ALICE Drill with Administrators and Office Staff: August/September

• All Employee ALICE Training Review Sept 

• FIRE Drill #1 (September)

• ALICE Drill planning and debrief (December/January)

• FIRE Drill #2 (October)

• ALICE scenario exercise with All Employees (January 2026)

• ALICE scenario exercise with Students and Staff (January 28, 2026)

• FIRE Drill #3 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring)

• ALICE/ Health and Safety scenario with Students and Staff (Spring)

• FIRE Drill #4 (possible additional scenario*) (Spring)

*Possible additional scenarios could include a tornado watch, evacuation for gas leak, chemical spill, 

               blocked egress etc.

As a school safety team we have reviewed the developmental appropriateness of the drills and exercises as well as concerns related to trauma. Our approach will incorporate this awareness and we will practice drills that are sensitive to these concerns. 

We will communicate more information at the school level as a follow up to each individual drill so that you are able to have a dialogue with your children and students. If you have any questions about this upcoming schedule or our approaches please contact your building principal and we will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns.

Finally, as a district we are once again participating in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Training program. This grant funded program, offered by the Executive Office of Technology Services & Security, provides training for all North Reading Public Schools educators and staff that has proven beneficial both professionally and personally as we work to ensure data privacy, safety, and security in the cyberworld. This year there will be additional modules available to train families and I look forward to sharing those details with our school community later this year.

We are so excited to welcome our students back on September 4, 2025 and I hope that everyone enjoys the remaining days of summer with their family and friends!

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

FY26: 2025-26 School Budget Update

On April 28, 2025 the North Reading School Committee voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2026 budget of $40,780,049 which represents an increase of 4.1% of the prior fiscal year. This budget is below level services and level staffing, meaning that in order to reconcile the gap of $597,752 the district needed to reduce staffing, programs, and services from what our students received in the 2024-25 school year.

These cuts are in addition to the reductions that were made the prior year that have also not been restored.

In order to close this budget gap several programmatic and personnel related reductions were necessary. The middle school programs for Computer Science and World Languages were reduced, and those offerings will now be General Arts offerings, similar to Robotics. In addition, our French Program 6-12 is being sunset, allowing only students who would be enrolled in French II and above for 2025-26 to continue learning the language in our district. All other students will have the opportunity to learn Spanish in grades 6-12. 

Additionally, we also needed to reduce positions, including the following 7.2 FTE positions. The list below reflects the actual reductions as of May 1, 2025.

• Administrative Restructuring (1 position)

• Elementary Teachers (1 position)

• Middle School/High School Teachers (4 positions)

  • World Languages and Computer Science

• High School Special Education (1 position)

• Paraprofessional (.2 position)

As always, each year there are resignations, retirements, non-renewals and other leaves of absence. Whenever possible, the individuals losing a position due to a reduction in force will be hired into a vacancy in order to minimize unemployment expenses and retain highly qualified individual employees. However, the number of positions that are being cut remains at 7.2 FTE.

What additional adjustments were made to balance the budget?

The School Committee has also reviewed fees and tuitions to address rising costs and as a result increases for the bus fees, as well as the tuitions for Pre-K and Kindergarten were voted on April 7, 2025 and increases for athletics, performing arts, and extra-curriculars were voted on April 28, 2025.  

What are the concerns for FY27 and beyond?

For the past several years the Superintendent and School Committee have been discussing their concerns about the available revenue from the state and town. As discussed on April 28th and at many recent School Committee meetings, we have concerns that the budgetary impact in future years could include:

--Class sizes at all schools, leading to possible redistricting

--School Adjustment Counselors

--Administrative Coordinator positions

--Tech/Engineering Program

--Athletic Program/Arts and Performing Arts programs and courses

These cuts could potentially impact staffing, programming, and supports that are in place for students currently and would not be able to be supported in the future as operating costs increase each year by a rate that is higher than the funding available.

What are the budget drivers for the school budget for the school year 2025-26 and beyond?

Like all school districts, the majority of our budget is comprised of contractual salary obligations, which make up 81.9% of our total budget. This includes steps, lane movements, and longevity increases for eligible staff in the North Reading Public Schools and factors in savings through turnover based on historical trends.

Another major driver is the cost of Special Education services both in-district and out-of-district, including transportation for students to outside placements. The tuition prices for many out-of-district providers has increased at a significant rate in recent years, and the number of students needing services has also continued to rise. 

Our operational building and fixed costs, as well as utilities, elementary enrollment, and the needs of our specialized programs round out the drivers for our school department budget.

Are these concerns unique to North Reading?

No, unfortunately the rising costs for operations have been a consistent need across the commonwealth and the budget drivers for our district are similar to those in many other cities and towns. The budget drivers in these districts are consistent with our own and we are committed to continuing the transparency around our needs to the entire community.

What are the Next Steps?

Our School Committee has engaged both Senator Tarr and Representative Jones who both recently attended a School Committee meeting to discuss the actions being taken at the State Level to address transportation, special education costs, and the funding formulas for districts. Our elected leaders have also advocated for state earmarks to address specific capital projects for our schools, including $50,000 for FY25.

Dr. Daly has also participated in the Day on the Hill and several legislative meetings in order to advocate for the needs for North Reading. The Assistant Superintendents and Directors continue to apply for and manage grants as another means of supplementing our budget. Last year we received $2,563,338 in state and federal grants to support opportunities for our students and staff.

At the town level we need to continue to identify sources of revenue and opportunities for growth. Many have asked about the need for a future override proposal and the Select Board, Finance Committee, and School Committee will continue to discuss these ideas along with the Town Manager, Superintendent, and Finance Directors for both the town and schools.

We are very thankful to everyone on both the town and school side who have worked over the past several months to help guide this budget process, especially Mr. Michael Connelly, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, who has been dedicated to each step in the budget development and has been transparent in communicating every detail on our budget page along the way.

The next step in our budget process will be for approval of the budget at the upcoming Town Meeting on June 9, 2025. We will continue to provide information and transparency about our budgetary needs as we move forward with the budget process for FY27and be sure to communicate any potential impacts due to revenue concerns with all stakeholders in the school community.

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly, Superintendent

FY26: 2025-26 School Budget Update

FY26: 2025-26 School Budget Update

Ahead of the North Reading School Committee’s public hearing on April 7, 2025 on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget I would like to share some very important updates on the budget for the upcoming school year. At this point in time we are presenting a level service budget with level staffing which represents the same services for students as in the current school year, with no restorations from the cuts from the previous year. In addition, we have a budget gap of $1,476,023 that needs to be reconciled.


What are the budget drivers for the school budget for the school year 2025-26 and beyond?


Like all school districts, the majority of our budget is comprised of contractual salary obligations, which make up 81.9% of our total budget. This includes steps, lane movements, and longevity increases for eligible staff in the North Reading Public Schools and factors in savings through turnover based on historical trends.

Another major driver is the cost of Special Education services both in-district and out-of-district, including transportation for students to outside placements. The tuition prices for many out-of-district providers has increased at a significant rate in recent years, and the number of students needing services has also continued to rise.

Our operational building and fixed costs, as well as utilities, elementary enrollment, and the needs of our specialized programs round out the drivers for our school department budget.

The Impact of the Failed Override on the North Reading Public Schools

The override request presented at the June 2024 Town Meeting factored in the school district’s needs for this school year (2024-25) as well as the following two years (2025-26 and 2026-27). Once the override failed at the ballot last year the district needed to immediately make cuts to address the $1.2 million budget gap.

Those cuts included both existing positions and other positions that would have provided level services for all students, meaning students in classrooms in 2024-25 do not have the same level of support and resources that students had the previous year. This gap will continue to widen in 2025-26 and beyond as we will be cutting additional positions and programs for the upcoming school year in order to reduce the budget gap of $1,476,023 for FY26.

Positions identified to be cut in order to balance the budget for 2025-26 which will be discussed on April 7, 2025 include the following:

• Administrative Restructuring (2 positions)
• Elementary Teachers (2 positions)
• Middle School Teachers (4 positions)
• World Languages and Computer Science
• High School Teachers (1-2 positions)
• Special Education Elementary
• Paraprofessional Positions (1.2 FTE)

In addition, the School Committee will be discussing increasing fees and tuitions associated with the following:

• Busing
• Athletics
• Performing Arts
• Kindergarten and Pre-K Tuition
• Facility Rental Rates

Positions that were cut from the budget in 2024-25 and not replaced include the following:

• Academic Interventionists (3 positions)
• Guidance Counselor (1 position)
• Technology Technician (1 position)
• Classroom Teacher (2 positions)
• Special Education Teacher (3 positions)
• School Nurse (0.5 reduction to Floater Nurse position)
• Paraprofessionals (4 positions)
• Facilities (1 position)
• Athletic Coaches (3 positions)

None of these positions were restored and other cuts were made to expenses for school and district budgets, as well as adjustments to the busing and transportation fees for students.

How will retirements, resignations, and other staffing decisions impact the reductions?

Each year there are resignations, retirements, non-renewals and other leaves of absence.

Whenever possible, the individuals losing a position due to a reduction in force will be hired into a vacancy in order to minimize unemployment expenses and retain highly qualified individual employees.

Have there been any additional expenses realized for 2024-25?

Yes, as discussed at the September 21, 2024 School Committee meeting we have seen an increase in our special education, transportation, and out-of-district tuition costs. This can be attributed to some unanticipated scenarios that arose late last school year and others that have arisen this year. We are also aware of other potential costs on the horizon, resulting from recent move-ins and newly identified student needs requiring additional support above and beyond the out of district placement due to the complex nature of the profile. The District budgeted for transportation and placement costs for 40 students this year, up from 37 in FY24, and we are currently at 45 students as of October 1st. At the October Town Meeting, $399,842 was appropriated to help to offset these costs for the current school year.

Are these concerns unique to North Reading?

No, unfortunately the rising costs for operations have been a consistent need across the commonwealth and the budget drivers for our district are similar to those in many other cities and towns. Last spring there were 46 override votes, with 57% of those failing. The budget drivers in these districts are consistent with our own and we are committed to continuing the transparency around our needs to the entire community.

Next Steps

As we discussed in our presentations last year, the concerns we have for this upcoming year will continue to mount in the years that follow given that our costs are continuing to increase and the available revenue from the town cannot support our needs.

As we move forward with the budget process for FY26 we will continue to identify potential cuts and be sure to communicate those impacts with all stakeholders in the school community.

In addition to the Public Hearing on April 7, 2025 there is also a Budget Vote scheduled for April 28, 2025 as well as Town Meeting on June 9, 2025.

E. Ethel Little School Principal Finalists

Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I’m very pleased to provide this update to everyone with respect to our search for the next E. Ethel Little Elementary School Principal. As recently communicated, we selected three finalists; however, one of our candidates has accepted another position and so we will be moving forward with a modified schedule.

April 1, 2025 Staff Panels Administrative Council
	Julie Sciamanna	Sarah O’Leary
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Meet with Administrative Council	Meet Faculty/Staff (Library)
3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Meet Faculty/Staff (Library)	Meet with Administrative Council

April 2, 2025 Family and Community Panels E. Ethel Little School Library & Virtual
6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.	Sarah O’Leary
6:45 p.m. - 7:15 p.m	Julie Sciamanna

Sarah O’Leary is currently the principal of the Proctor Elementary School in Topsfield where she has been the principal since 2009. Prior to that she served as the curriculum specialist in Topsfield, Middleton, and Boxford as a part of the Tri-Town School Union for three years after teaching elementary school for more than a decade in both Topsfield and Marlborough.

Julie Sciamanna has worked in the role of Literacy Coach at North Beverly Elementary School for the past four years. Prior to that she served in the classroom as a Grade 2 teacher at North Beverly for seven years as well as four years as an elementary teacher in Lynn and Salem.

As recently communicated, there will be opportunities to meet the finalists and ask questions in a public panel.

Anyone planning to attend is asked to complete this form. These moderated sessions will be hybrid and pre-approved questions may be asked both in person and virtually of each candidate. The staff and the family/community sessions will be held in the library of the E. Ethel Little School and a link will be provided to those who register in advance for remote viewing.

Thank you for your continued support of this important process and I look forward to our next steps.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Daly

North Reading High School Principal Update

                                                                                                January 30, 2025

Dear North Reading High School Community,

I am writing today to inform you that Dr. Miriam Meyer has accepted the offer to become the next principal of North Reading High School. Dr. Meyer is currently the assistant principal of Ayer Shirley Regional High School, a position she has held since 2018. Prior to that she served as an educational team leader (9-12) in Marlborough, MA, as a special education director (8-12) with the Hudson Public Schools, and as a school psychologist.

We are thankful to our search committee and everyone who participated in this process and provided feedback during our panels and joined us on our site visits. We arrived at a very difficult decision between our four excellent finalists who each possess tremendous leadership qualities. I am proud that we attracted such a high caliber of candidates as this is representative of the excellent opportunity that working with the students and staff at North Reading High School presents.

When meeting with Dr. Meyer’s panels of students, parents, safety officials, educators, and administrators, it became clear that she is well qualified to carry forward the school’s mission and core values and will be a great fit to work closely with Ms. Alonzo and the high school leadership team on the vision for the future of North Reading High School. 

I look forward to introducing Dr. Meyer at an upcoming school committee meeting, and she and Mr. Loprete will begin the transition work in the coming months, ahead of her July 1, 2025 start date.

Once again, thank you to everyone involved in the process and I thank you in advance for your support in a successful transition for Dr. Meyer as she joins our wonderful learning community in North Reading!

Sincerely yours,

Patrick C. Daly, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools