Sharon Center School outlines improvement goals

SHARON — Sharon Center School is working to strengthen students’ sense of belonging and engagement after findings presented to the Board of Education identified concerns about communication, support and trust.

Principal Carol Tomkalski and members of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team presented a strategic school improvement plan that sets measurable goals for academic achievement and school climate at the board’s Oct. 19 meeting. The board also received an update on long-term building cost estimates.

The leadership team includes teachers from primary school, middle school and special education. Tomkalski described the improvement plan as a “road map” for decisions affecting students.

“We have all put a lot of time into creating this plan and into the effort and the direction that we’re taking… It is a group effort,” said Tomkalski. “We have set measurable goals in our plan that identify the actions that we plan to take. And it explains how we will progress, monitor and adjust the work as necessary.”

According to Tomkalski, student performance has improved since the fall 2025 baseline in subjects such as math and language arts, with more than half of K-8 students meeting or exceeding standards.

However, the presentation identified areas needing improvement in the “culture and climate” category, which addresses belonging and engagement. These included communication, opportunities to have a voice, support, trust, leadership visibility and consistent responses to behavior.

In response, Tomkalski and the leadership team launched efforts to engage teachers and students beyond the classroom, including a project-based learning course connecting students in different grades and team-building through outdoor education. Most students, staff and parents surveyed agreed that Sharon Center School is a safe place to learn.

“We have been very thoughtful in the changes that we have made,” Tomkalski said. “It’s an opportunity for the teachers to engage with students in a way that isn’t the same as they may be experiencing in the classroom.”

The board also appointed a volunteer representative to the Region One Organizational Study Committee, which is examining the region’s K–8 school structure, programs and future educational needs.

The board also discussed the Building Committee’s work to estimate future costs at the school. Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick said third-party experts had described the school as being in excellent condition.

Herrick described the preliminary five-year cost estimate as a “worst case scenario.”

An internal review found that some work could be done more economically in-house.

“There’s still going to be the cost of doing things in-house… you still have to purchase things,” said Herrick. “We’d have the oversight of our electrical or plumbing contractor on a lot of these items. We still have to fine-tune some of those numbers, but we are pretty confident that we have the structure and the skeleton of that document.”

The discussion followed a contentious budget process earlier this year. Voters rejected the proposed budget 114–99 on May 8 before approving it June 29 by a vote of 90–12. The school’s $4.17 million operating budget remained unchanged between those votes, but the town established a separate $35,000 reserve from its undesignated account for school expenses if needed.

The completed cost plan is scheduled to be presented at the board’s next meeting Nov. 9.