Dear Students, Staff, and Families:
Spring has sprung! Schools are a buzz with planning their end-of-the-year events: Field trips, award ceremonies, field days, graduation and promotional celebrations, dances, and much more. Be sure to keep an eye out for your building principal’s communication for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Recognitions
Last night, the School Committee recognized two individuals, our Athletic Director, Martin Crowley, and talented cross country coach, Kerrie Carpenter.
Mr. Crowley was recently awarded the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) State Award of Merit. This award is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding leadership and personal commitment to the values of interscholastic athletics. Marty certainly fits the bill! Coach Carpenter was named the Rhode Island Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association(RIIAAA) Female Coach of the Year. Her impressive record speaks for itself. We are fortunate to have these two truly dedicated individuals on our team. Go Blue!
2025-2026 School Budget
Earlier this week, the School Committee adopted the proposed budget to be submitted to the Mayor’s office next week. Step one in the budget process is complete. For the next several months, next year’s budget will be a focus for the Cumberland Town Council, the Mayor, the School Committee, and district administration as we work to stretch available funds as far as they will go. Our goals remain the same: to continue the upward trajectory while remaining fiscally mindful. You can see the 2025-2026 budget documents here. Links to the previous year’s budget information can be found on the Business Office Page.
School Construction Projects
As continued improvements happen around the district, including the renovations at Community School and the new roof at CHS, we are deep into the planning phase of the new B.F. Norton Elementary School. Architect firm Ai3 shared a presentation at the March 27th School Committee meeting of the Planning Board approved project. The presentation can be found here. In addition to the school buildings, we are also looking forward to new playgrounds being installed at John J. McLaughlin Cumberland Hill, Garvin Memorial, and Ashton Elementary Schools. As a district, we take great pride in the education and facilities we can offer all of our students. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team,” Phil Jackson. Team Cumberland is working hard for our community, both inside and outside of the classrooms.
CSD Policies
At the start of the year, staff and families are asked to acknowledge the Cumberland School Department Policy Manual. As work in education is ever-changing, we occasionally add new policies or update existing policies. The School Committee recently approved two new policies: I-1 Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS) Policy and K-8 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Policy. There are also several polices that have had some amendments made to them, and they can be found at the bottom of the district webpage under “New/Revised Policies”. There is also a tab for Draft Policies, which are being discussed at upcoming Policy and Procedure Subcommittee and School Committee meetings. Please reach out with any questions you have regarding the school department policies.