Hi Somers/Lakeside Families and Staff,
Here’s a quick rundown of what was covered at our recent school board meeting. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes to support our students, teachers, and community, so we wanted to keep you in the loop!
Academics & Testing
We spent time talking about testing—how much there is, how it impacts our students, and what we’re learning from it. STAR testing continues to be a useful tool, especially when we look at student growth over time, rather than just one-time scores.
Teachers are also working hard to manage the tight schedule and keep learning meaningful, despite the pressure of multiple assessments. There’s a push to focus on growth and give students more space to show what they know, without being overloaded.
Math & Reading Updates
There’s exciting progress coming in math. We’ll be bringing back Title I Math support next year within Somers Middle School, and we’re looking into a program called Reflex Math to help students strengthen their math facts and fluency. It’s already shown promise in younger grades.
We’re also focusing more on reading comprehension, especially how it connects to math. Word problems, in particular, can feel like reading tests, so making sure kids understand the question is just as important as solving the math.
Staffing, Behavior & Building Community
We have a lot of newer teachers doing amazing work and learning from our amazing tenured staff. Both schools are also improving how we track behavior and identify students who may need extra support, whether it’s a check-in with a counselor or working in small social groups.
Budget & Operations
Some good news on the operations front! The board approved a new agreement for classified staff that includes a raise to help cover increased health insurance costs. Transportation repairs are underway and covered by insurance for the school food delivery van, and the food services team continues doing great work – even helping out neighboring schools in need.
We’re also exploring a new statewide school health insurance option but are waiting for more details before considering if a switch makes sense in 2026.
Other Board Business
The board approved transfer requests for students coming in and out of the district.
One early kindergarten entry was approved; another was recommended to wait a year.
We’re recommitting to having a board liaison reconnect with the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) to help maintain open communication between teachers and the board.
And finally, we’re excited to welcome our new superintendent, Alex Ator, who’ll be joining us at the next board meeting on Monday, July 21, which will be held at Lakeside Elementary.
A Special Thank You to Joe Price
As we look ahead, we also want to take a moment to look back with gratitude. Superintendent Joe Price will be retiring at the end of this month, closing out a remarkable career of over 40 years in education. Joe has served the Somers/Lakeside community with dedication, leadership, and heart.
On behalf of the entire district, thank you, Joe, for your years of service and commitment to our schools. You will be missed.
Thanks for reading, and thanks as always for being a part of the Somers/Lakeside community. We’re grateful for your continued support as we keep working together to make our schools the best they can be.
Warmly,
Chance Barrett
On Behalf of Somers/Lakeside School Board