Around the Schoolyard

A Look Back at the 2025-26 School Year

Patrick C. Daly, Superintendent

June 11, 2026

On June 5, 2026 North Reading celebrated its 69th graduation ceremony and recognized the Class of 2026. Our graduates leave us exceptionally well-prepared for the college and career opportunities ahead and it was a wonderful evening to honor their achievements. Along with our graduates, we honored several retiring educators and Dr. Cathy O’Connell, who is moving on to be an Assistant Superintendent after fifteen years as the North Reading Middle School Principal. We extend our deepest gratitude for their service and wish them the absolute best in their well-deserved next chapters.

Our new High School Principal, Dr. Miriam Meyer, introduced several exciting new traditions this year, including a Senior Scholarship and Awards night, updates to the graduation ceremony, and a new design for graduates to visit their elementary schools for a “clap out.” Dr. Meyer has made a great impression in her first year in our district and we look forward to her leadership for years to come.

We also welcomed our new principal of the Little School, Mrs. Julie Fahey, who received great support from our veteran elementary principals, Mr. Michael Maloney and Dr. Glen McKay, and who has brought so many great ideas to our leadership team and her school. In addition, in July, Mrs. Sarah Auger will begin as our new principal at the middle school and we are excited to have her join our team!

Budget and Graduation Requirements

In the coming weeks you will hear more about the Statewide Graduation Requirements and the adjustments that all school districts in Massachusetts will be making over the next several years, including updates to foundational coursework; end-of-course-assessments (replacing MCAS for high school); milestones for post-secondary planning including the MyCAP framework and involving financial literacy, artificial intelligence, and digital literacy; and culminating experiences, including capstone projects and portfolios of student work.

With the approval of our operational budget for the North Reading Public Schools at town meeting on June 1, 2026 we are able to maintain the level services we have in place for students as well as restore some of the positions that have been reduced in the previous two years. This also allows us to support the upcoming needs for the future, including the updates to the graduation requirements that will begin in 2027. 

As always, Mr. Michael Connelly has done an outstanding job in preparing the budget and we are all very thankful to the entire community for supporting the needs of our children. 

In the coming year we will continue to keep the community apprised of the budgetary needs for FY28 and beyond. To view presentations, videos, and the budget book please visit https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/departments/finance-operations/budget and follow the School Committee across platforms @NRPSSC for updates.

Strategic Plan

Our updated strategic plan, NRPS 2030, was developed with input from all stakeholders, including students, educators, administrators, staff, families, parents, caregivers, and community members and represents what we value in North Reading and what we believe should be a part of the student experience in our district.

We have two main headings: Community, Culture & Connection and Student Success and Growth. Under Community, Culture & Connection we focus on student, family, and community voice; safety; health, climate, and culture; respecting & reflecting diverse cultures; social emotional learning; family engagement; fiscal responsibility; and equitable access. For Student Success and Growth the focus areas are curriculum, instruction & assessment practices; MTSS & co-teaching; data analysis; course offerings & curriculum alignment; digital learing & AI; and professional development.

                                 https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/our-district/nrps-2030

Mr. Sean Killeen, our Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Mrs. Cynthia Conant, Director of Student Services, along with our full leadership team have been instrumental in providing feedback in the development and implementation of our plan. There will be future opportunities for additional input from the community and we look forward to working with everyone in order to best meet the needs of our students.

NRPS Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

At last evening's school committee meeting the North Reading School Committee approved the school year calendar for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. This document is now posted on our websites under School Year Calendar and can also be found here.

Also, this month our School Safety team and building leaders will present all staff a refresher on the emergency protocols and our district is once again planning a tabletop (discussion-based) exercise with all students and staff where we will engage in a conversation around a developmentally appropriate scenario that would utilize our safety protocols.

For example, younger students would be alerted that there is a “stranger” while older students may discuss more specific details of the danger/threat and engage with their teachers about what they would do with the information that they have at that moment. Students and staff may also come away with questions from the exercise and so our school safety team will collect and review these questions and comments from staff and respond as appropriate as a part of our ongoing safety plan.

If a teacher is absent, they will speak with the students upon their return.

This exercise will take place at each school in the district on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. By design, the exact time is not being shared so that the educators will be able to respond in the moment to the scenario and so everyone may consider what they would do in that particular place and in that specific moment. 

As we have done in the past we are providing advance notice of this exercise to parents, guardians, and caregivers so that they may reach out to their building principal with any questions or concerns and, if necessary, to opt out. This exercise will not involve any drills, evacuations, or simulations and is only a conversation with the classroom teacher or educator. We are well aware of the trauma that can be associated with these discussions and our educators are prepared and will be approaching this in a careful and developmentally appropriate manner.

Caregivers interested in having a discussion with their child(ren) prior to the date of the exercise may find this link to resources from the National Association of School Psychologists useful: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-parents-and-teachers

In addition to the efforts of our educators, school administrators, and School Resource Officer (SRO) we are very thankful for the cooperation of the North Reading Police and Fire Departments who are key members of our safety team and who were instrumental in the development of these exercises.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

Engaging with the North Reading Public Schools in 2026

 At this time of year it is always my pleasure to welcome our students and staff back to our buildings and to share exciting ways for our community can become even more involved with our schools.

Stay Connected

This year we have refreshed our district website: https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us to make it more accessible and interactive. This is a great place to learn more about upcoming events, see photos and stories of student success, and to follow communications from the schools and central office. 

Our Community Bulletin Board is where you’ll find updates on important events and registrations in the community: https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/cbb and you can subscribe to receive email update notifications from this page by clicking on the bell in the upper right hand corner.

There is also a page for the North Reading School Committee with information and links to upcoming meetings, recordings of recent meetings, agendas, and minutes. The School Committee can be followed across social media platforms @NRPSSC.

On social media we are also active on X, and following the Superintendent's account @nrschools is a great way to stay up to date. You should also follow the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations @nrpsfinance; the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning @NRPSlearning; and our Director of Athletics and Student Activities @NRHSHornets. 

Join the PreK-12 Action Team

As a part of the Town of North Reading’s Community Impact Team the North Reading Public Schools invites families and community members to engage with us on our PreK-12 Action Team. We meet four times a year as a large group to hear updates from the sub-groups, which for the 2025-26 school year include: Equity and Belonging; Health and Wellness; Recess and Outdoor Time; and Social Media and Cell Phone Use. 

For more information please visit us here: https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/students-families/prek-12-action-team

Opportunities for Community Learning through Family University

We are committed to provide an ongoing series of interactive workshops, webinars, and learning opportunities through the North Reading Family University. Our first offering, a welcome event for new families, was held in August and was well attended both in-person and online. 

In the past we have offered Family University workshops on a variety of topics and we plan to continue these programs this year so please stay tuned for more updates by visiting our website: https://shorturl.at/r4d8T.

Learn more about NRPS 2030, our district strategy

As we finalize our five year plan for continuous improvement, NRPS 2030, you can learn more about our initiatives here: https://www.north-reading.k12.ma.us/our-district/nrps-2030

Our strategy is divided into two areas: Community, Culture, and Connection and Student Success and Growth. In the coming weeks each of the elements will be clickable and will reveal details about the specific objectives for each school year. 

Join Us!

Looking for the best way to spend an evening? Come join us! Whether you’re attending a hit musical or a high-stakes game, our events are a fantastic way to get involved and support our incredible students. You can find all upcoming dates and ticket links on our website and social media pages. We are committed to keeping North Reading informed and engaged, as strong communication makes our district stronger. We can’t wait to see you in the stands or the theater—let’s make 2026 a standout year for our Hornets!

December 2025 Updates

 Dear North Reading Public Schools Community,

I’m writing this afternoon to provide two important updates on recent developments that will impact the North Reading Public Schools.

First, at this morning’s board meeting of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) the Board of Directors voted to invite our Statement of Interest into the MSBA eligibility period. This is great news for our district! 

What this means is that we are now able to begin the next steps in the process that will gather information for submission that could lead to us potentially being considered for the feasibility study phase. Between now and then we will continue to share updates and present on this topic publicly, as many of these steps will require public input and vote.

Our proposal involves the replacement of modular units at both the E. Ethel Little and J. Turner Hood elementary schools with a permanent structure at the Hood and potential updates to the Hood school that could extend the life of that facility. 

This project would consolidate the existing Pre-K programs at the Little School and the Hood School into one early childhood center / physical structure.The new classrooms would also include right-sized spaces for special education programs in the new wing at the Hood School.

Kindergarten students would remain at their own school. Currently Batchelder, Hood, and Little each have Kindergarten. 

The second item that I wanted to discuss today is the recent draft report of the Statewide Graduation Council and the recent updates the North Reading School Committee has adopted to its policy for graduation requirements and competency determination.

The Statewide Graduation Council’s recommendations, which will be finalized in June, include seven elements (program of study, end-of-course assessments, capstones or portfolios, MyCAP, FAFSA/MASFA, financial literacy, and seals of distinction) that we believe the North Reading Public Schools are well-positioned to implement. At this time we either meet or exceed these recommended requirements or we have a pathway toward implementing those elements that are not fully in place presently. 

Currently there is no timeline established for the implementation of the Statewide Graduation Council’s recommendations, and we will continue to provide feedback in order to strengthen the successful implementation of these next requirements.

In the meantime, we have adopted updated requirements for graduation and competency determination since the passage of Question 2 last year changed the long standing use of the MCAS assessment for this purpose. 

Our Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Mr. Sean Killeen, and our High School Principal, Dr. Miriam Meyer, high school administration and curriculum leaders, have been working throughout the fall to ensure that our courses and assessments are aligned with our updated policy, which will be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval in the coming days. 

Our policy meets all of the requirements for rigorous standards while also allowing multiple pathways for students to demonstrate their competency; including students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and late enrolling students.

Specific details about the requirements will be shared in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about this policy or changes to graduation requirements please feel free to contact me or Mr. Killeen directly and we will be happy to provide you with additional information.

Thank you,

Dr. Daly

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