Board Update

The Reading Community City School District held a regular meeting on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Here is an overview of the topics discussed. Board meetings are streamed and archived here.

Preschool Planning: Discussions continue around preschool offerings for the 2021-2022 school year. The Board received more information about the efforts to balance costs against the full-day and half-day offerings. A final decision is expected by the Board in January. Further information about the financial considerations can be found in the Superintendent’s Report here.

Financial: The Treasurer’s office was notified that the district received a clean audit report from the auditing firm Plattenburg and Associates.

Board Vacancy: Four applications were received by the deadline of 4 pm on December 16, 2020. The Reading Community City School District Board of Education will meet in special session on December 21, 2020, for the purpose of interviewing candidates. A new Board member will be appointed to fill the vacancy during a special board meeting on December 28, 2020.

Board Planning and Development: The district’s annual organizational meeting will be held on January 6, 2021, at 5:30 pm. The Board continues to review and finalize the mission, vision, and belief statements constructed during the Board work session on November 19. These are expected to be finalized in January.

Strategic Planning: Work continues on the District’s Mission and Vision statements. The community survey window closes today and results will be compiled in January. Phase II of the process will include Vision Statement Focus Groups meeting Thursday, January 14, 2021, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. A draft of the district strategic plan is expected to be presented to the Board in late January or early February.

Second Semester: The district is on track to move to five-day blended learning during the second semester. Survey results are being compiled and used by building principals in planning for adjustments with class sizes and sections. We anticipate a few adjustments at the elementary to balance our in-person and remote learning sections, particularly as we have analyzed data regarding students moving in and out of quarantine during first semester. Our teachers and administration will be communicating these adjustments and making final preparations when we return from break.

Semester Exams: There will be no semester exams at Reading High School in order to maximize in-person learning time for our students.

Community Chat Schedule: A new series of Community Chats will be held in 2021 by Superintendent Jason Enix and Treasurer Colette Lewis. Selected Community Chats will be focused on targeted topics and will be advertised in advance. All chats will be virtual. Please sign up here.