School Committee Reviews Kindergarten Boot Camp Pilot
School Committee · Meeting of September 9, 2026
Newburyport schools pilot a $50 kindergarten boot camp that served 45 students. Principal Sokolowski and teachers Sam McGuire and Robin O'Malley told the School Committee the three-week summer pilot, funded through the district's Swayze Fund, replaced a one-on-one screening test with a play-based group format. "Instead of doing the same thing next year, expecting a different result, what can we do?" Sokolowski said.
Member Breanna Higgins pressed for success metrics, while the committee approved a $635,778.25 warrant and a January New York trip costing $650 to $850 per student for visual and performing arts students. Superintendent Sean Gallagher announced Newburyport won approval for a U.S. Coast Guard Junior ROTC program, the second in Massachusetts and eleventh nationally, and Member John Ricci reported a $20,000 grant application for student drop-off safety improvements on Low Street.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,134 words
Source: the School Committee meeting of September 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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