A district staff member presented the district’s State‑wide Student Opportunity Act (SOA) plan progress report and summarized performance trends for the district’s lowest‑performing student subgroup.

The presenter said that, although the district receives minimal or no SOA funding because of its funding status under Chapter 70, the district was required to submit an SOA plan and report on progress. The plan’s evidence‑based practices include strengthened tier‑1 instruction, progress monitoring for students with disabilities, expansion of vocational opportunities and implementation of social‑emotional learning curriculum.

For grades K–8 the presenter reported a decline in chronic absenteeism for the lowest‑performing subgroup from 14% to 8.8% and modest math gains that ‘‘fell just below’’ the district’s improvement target; ELA performance declined slightly. In high school the presenter said chronic absenteeism for the subgroup rose slightly from 16.1% to 17.2%, while achievement gaps narrowed in both ELA and math but again fell short of targets. The presenter highlighted larger gains in science and technology: for low‑income students, meeting/exceeding expectations increased from 25% to 35% in grades 5 and 8 and from 35% to 45% in grade 10.

The presenter said suspension and emergency removal rates fell for several groups (low‑income students, students with disabilities, Black/African‑American students and others) between 2023 and 2024. Based on the results, the district plans to build on existing strategies rather than propose major adjustments to its SOA plan for the next year.

The presenter also announced an equity walk scheduled for May 27 and information sessions about potential innovation career pathways for students in grades 7–9; DESE designation for pathways is pending.

Committee members asked no substantive follow‑up questions during the presentation; the district said it will continue implementation and monitoring.