By Sabrina Artusa

At the Sept. 18 meeting, the Northport-East Northport Board of Education reviewed upcoming goals and changes as the school year begins. 

Students and schools have completed a seamless transition into the 2024-25 school year, which started on Sept. 4 for students grades 1-12. 

The board reported that it met with various committee leaders and liaisons. The committee meetings will be starting next month. 

“I think we had a really positive start to the school year and I just want to reinforce that” said Superintendent Dave Moyer, who attended many student athletic events. “It’s enjoyable to see everybody back out there doing their thing.” 

This will be Moyer’s first full year as superintendent. At the prior meeting, Moyer presented a teaching model he hopes to implement this year called Professional Learning Communities. 

This is not a program but a model of teaching that Moyer hopes would help impact students’ absorption of material, engagement and enthusiasm. According to Moyer’s presentation at the last meeting, this method requires a collective effort of teachers as opposed to teaching without collaboration.

At the Sept. 5 meeting, Moyer explained that they will be repurposing some of the staff to include duties that honor the PLCs and that are more supportive to teachers — these staff members will be taking a more “active role” in assisting teachers. He mentioned instructional coordinators and future-focused teaching positions as examples. 

Moyer hopes that PLCs will be beneficial to teachers as well, whose jobs are getting “more and more intense” every year. PLC is pitched as a mutually beneficial model that will help both students and teachers reach their potential. 

“When teachers get in a collaborative environment and realize they don’t have to do everything themselves, it starts to make the work more manageable,” Moyer said on Sept. 5. “It starts to make them feel like they do have an impact and they can manage the work because they are working on a team and they don’t have to do it by themselves.”

Carol Taylor, BOE president, said she “loves the vision” of PLCs. 

“There is a tangible deliverable with this,” she said at the Sept. 5 meeting. “When teachers have the opportunity to be collaborative, there is an atmosphere of support. So, if you aren’t doing your best, you are learning how to be your best and with that comes creativity.” 

She noted that years ago Responsive Classroom was emerging as a teaching method and is now the standard. She said she expects PLCs to be no different. 

Professional learning communities would require teachers to meet regularly to develop better leadership strategies, share successful methodologies, reflect on trouble areas and to coordinate their teaching strategies so as to optimize their students growth. 

Moyer clarified his plan regarding PLCs – some people expressed uncertainty about whether it would increase the budget.

“PLCs are not something that comes with a price tag,” Moyer clarified after alluding to concerns raised after the previous meeting. Grant money will be used as support. The board has $60,000 in grant funding. Moyer said there will be “no budgetary impact.”

The next BOE meeting is Oct. 10 at William J. Brosnan School at 7 p.m. On Nov.7 the board will give a presentation on school improvement plans for each school. Every meeting’s minutes, agenda and recording will be posted online.