Board Update

The Reading Community City School District Board of Education held a work session on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The district has returned to in-person Board meetings in the Media Center at 810 East Columbia Ave. Meetings are streamed and archived here.

The Board unanimously approved the hiring of Shane Ferguson as the new principal of Reading Jr/Sr High School. Mr. Ferguson comes from Milford Schools where he has been serving as an Assistant Principal at Milford High School. He previously taught mathematics at Milford Junior High School and Princeton Middle School. He has also served as both a JV and Varsity basketball coach for both boys and girls at Milford and Goshen High Schools.

During this hiring process, the district leadership worked to engage with our students, our staff, and the community through a series of meetings and focus groups to identify the characteristics, traits, and qualities needed in a great principal for the district. A diverse, 21 member district committee was assembled to be involved in the second round of the interview process in order to provide feedback and comments regarding each of the candidates. Mr. Ferguson was the only candidate that received unanimous support from the committee as a successful leader of Reading Jr/Sr High School.

“With my combination of middle school and high school experience as a teacher, administrator, and coach, I knew this position was a perfect fit. I’m eager to get started,” Ferguson said.

He will officially begin his new position on July 19th but will be working over the summer to transition into the new role. He will be the first principal of the newly realigned 7-12 building. Welcome, Mr. Ferguson!

Superintendent Jason Enix updated the Board on progress being made on the district’s Strategic Plan. The plan, which can be viewed in full on the district website here, is a roadmap for the district. The Board approved the plan in February.

Mr. Enix presented a scorecard of progress on the plan. He discussed the district reorganization plan, which includes the hiring of Stephanie Glad as the district’s new Wellness and Community Outreach Coordinator, and Dr. Damon Davis as the Director of Curriculum and Communication. New academic offerings for our students were discussed, including STEM programs, Project Lead the Way, and additional enrichment and intervention in math and language arts. Reorganization planning has provided opportunities for new programs and district leadership in the areas of curriculum and communication without negatively impacting the five-year forecast, while federal funding has supported the learning recovery opportunities for the district.

Mr. Enix will update the board quarterly on the progress being made on the strategic plan. Generally, these plans take 3-5 years for completion, and as goals are reached, it will be time to revisit the plan and add new initiatives.

The Board approved a number of personnel matters, including approving a two-year contract with the Reading Educational Association (REA), a new contract for Mr. Enix, extending his current contract through 2025, and an amendment to the contract of Treasurer Colette Lewis.