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.