Littleton School Committee questions 12 half-day PD schedule amid parent complaints

LITTLETON -- October 27, 2022, Littleton School Committee debates 12 annual early-release professional development days as parent frustration mounts. The committee heard a full presentation Thursday from Director of Teaching and Learning Jennifer Steel and Superintendent Brad Clunchy on the district's 2022-2023 PD plan, which organizes 12 half days into three buckets, two district-led, four building-led, and six faculty-led, anchored by overarching goals of Universal Design for Learning and culturally responsive teaching. Member Justin McCarthy said the PD calendar "is the number one complaint I hear from residents," and the committee pressed Clunchy on whether fewer days would be equally effective; Clunchy acknowledged adding full PD days is "cost-prohibitive" under the current contract because they do not count toward the 182-day instructional requirement. Assistant Principal Dr. Steve Hax separately reported that 81 percent of 107 Littleton students who took 210 AP exams in 2022 scored three or higher on at least one exam, with 75 individual scores of five, and student Catherine McDonough earned a perfect score on AP Drawing, placing her among roughly 300 students worldwide.