New staff positions and new programming are in the works to get four Lockport schools off the state’s list of schools in need of “support and improvement.”
Both Lockport High School and Lockport High School West are rated for Targeted Support and Improvement due to Hispanic students falling behind academically.
Emmet Belknap Intermediate School received an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement designation due to the academic performance of African-American students.
Charles Upson Elementary was flagged as a Potential Targeted Support and Improvement school due to the academic performance of African-American and Hispanic students, according to the district.
In March, district Superintendent Mathis Calvin III presented a 2024-2025 budget that earmarked funding to bring the flagged schools back to acceptable performance levels. Administration unveiled its formal plan to the Board of Education last week.
“We are dedicated to enhancing academic performance for all our students, providing essential resources to improve outcomes and meeting our students’ needs,” Calvin said.
For LHS, a new literary specialist, an English teacher and math academic intervention service support are to be provided. LHS-West will get another literary specialist and a social worker. In addition, LHS-West will host an eighth-grade intervention program, in which eighth-graders will be brought to West and a determination made about where they’ll attend high school, LHS or LHS-West, based on their needs.
At Emmet Belknap, a behavior specialist, a reading teacher, an instructional coach and a special education teacher are joining the staff.
Upson Elementary will get another behavioral specialist, an additional instructional coach and a special education teacher. The elementary school will also be part of the Home Run Program, a socio-emotional support program.
Districtwide, new programs include Benchmark Advance for kindergarten through 6th grade English students, iREADY for fifth- through eighth-grade math students, and a pilot math program for kindergarten through fourth grade students. District spokesperson Denyel Beiter said these will “significantly increase academic time devoted to ELA and mathematics for students from kindergarten through sixth grade.”
Funding for the 12 new posts comes in part from the state. A minimum of $50,000 for both LHS and LHS-West, plus $20,000 for planning, will be allocated for those TSI-designated schools, and $75,000 will be allocated for Belknap as an ATSI designee, according to the district. The district itself will receive $50,000 on top.
Also to support the new staffing and programs, the district eliminated three existing posts in FY 2024-2025: assistant director of health and wellness, director of grants and district/community programs, and grant coordinator. That freed up $366,000, according to Beiter. Various grants and utilization of BOCES services will also help cover the tab, she said.
Beiter said the impact of the state-funded My Brother’s Keeper program for young men and boys of color, launched in the district a few years ago, could not be determined at this time. The designation of schools in need of support and improvement is based on school-wide test results, and test data on students participating in the MBK program can’t be isolated.