Justin Evans
Express correspondent
Kingston Public Schools is implementing a new mathematics curriculum for grades K-8 starting next school year, following an extensive review process by a committee of teachers and administrators.
The district has selected HMH (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) as its new math program after comparing it with another highly-rated curriculum option, iReady.
“HMH was the one that was highly rated across the board by the teachers in each one of the categories,” said Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford, who presented the curriculum update at the May 5 School Committee meeting.
The curriculum change comes as the district’s contract with enVision, its current K-5 math program, expires this spring. The Big Ideas program used for grade 6 will expire next year.
Committee members evaluated both HMH and iReady using a rubric and rating sheets, with HMH emerging as the clear preference. Teachers noted that students found the HMH lessons “more engaging and easier to access” than the alternative.
“We went with HMH in part because the student usability was much better than the other program we reviewed,” said Brian DeSantes the District’s K-6 Curriculum Coordinator.
The district has already begun planning for implementation, with professional development sessions scheduled for this summer and throughout the next school year.
“Choosing a program is important, but the implementation is as important because that is really where we’re going to see it happen in the classroom,” Dr. Clifford explained.
The initial investment for the new curriculum is included in next year’s budget. While the first year will require the largest expenditure for materials, costs are expected to decrease in subsequent years.
The first year cost for the curriculum is $103,000, but the committee expects that to drop going into years 2 and 3 of the contract.
In other school news, Kingston Elementary School Principal Dr. Kerri Whipple reported that 111 students are currently registered for kindergarten for the upcoming school year.
“I connected with all – majority of the local preschools. I’m visiting two more tomorrow,” Dr. Whipple said. “I send them all the kindergarten information. So I’ve done a ton more outreach than I have before and trying to build those relationships with the local preschools.”
Dr. Whipple expressed enthusiasm about these outreach efforts, stating, “I’m having, like, a blast. I don’t want to leave. It’s, like, the best hour when I get to go there to visit them.”
The elementary school also presented positive data on student achievement. Dr. Whipple reported improvements in reading scores across multiple grade levels.
“If you look at last winter to this winter, we’re at 15% increase, which is awesome,” she said regarding first-grade DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) scores. “And I think that has a lot to do with our literacy instruction.”
“We’re teaching OG [Orton-Gillingham] every single day in every single classroom. We’re doing Hegarty. It’s a huge multisensory approach to learning,” Dr. Whipple explained. “I mean, honestly, I am in there, and I’m learning so much. We weren’t taught this way.”
Kingston Intermediate School (KIS) Principal Andy Materna also presented data showing improvements in reading scores but noted that math remains an area of focus.
“We’ve been static in math. We’ve been static in math for a number of years now, and we’re focused on math,” Materna said.
To address this, KIS has already made adjustments to its schedule to allow more time for math instruction. The new district-wide curriculum is expected to further support these efforts.
Both schools are also enhancing their transition programs for students moving between buildings. KIS and KES are collaborating on a second-to-third grade transition night to help families prepare for the move to the intermediate school.
“I’m really excited for it, to start meeting these families,” Materna said. “I’ve gone over to lunch, to the second grade lunch, to meet those kids and hung out with Mr. G. side-by-side. Just that little bit of facetime with students, little things like that.”
The district is also developing a comprehensive literacy plan focusing on five key areas: leadership, assessment, tiered instruction, professional learning, and family engagement.
“As we embark on something as large scale, as looking at curriculums, looking at professional development, all of these things, it’s very advantageous to have a strategy behind who, what, when, where, and how,” Dr. Clifford explained.
The literacy plan will guide the district as it begins reviewing English Language Arts curriculum options in the fall, with potential implementation in the 2026-27 school year.
In other business, the committee approved making information available about a free DARE summer camp for students entering grades 5 and 6. The camp, sponsored by the Kingston Police Department, will be held July 28 through August 1 at Whitman-Hanson.
The committee also mentioned the need to move scholarship funds into an interest-bearing account to enable the awarding of the Fonts scholarships, which haven’t been distributed for about five years due to lack of interest income.
The last day of school for Kingston students is scheduled for Friday, June 13, with the next School Committee meeting set for July 7.

Justin Evans
Express correspondent
Halifax Town Administrator Cody Haddad announced his resignation during the Tuesday, April 29 Board of Selectmen meeting, effective at the end of July, marking the end of a two-year tenure that brought stability to the town.
“I will be resigning from my position as town administrator here effective at the end of July,” Haddad told the board. “It was a personal decision. I think that’s best for me and my family at this time.”
Haddad, who will be returning to Dartmouth as Town Administrator according to Dartmouth Week, emphasized his commitment to helping with the transition over the next few months.
“It certainly wasn’t anywhere near as long as Mr. Bruno’s,” Haddad said of his tenure. “But I think looking back I think I gave the town my all. I think we made a lot of progress.”
The announcement followed a meeting that began with heartfelt tributes to Chair John Bruno, who previously served five terms as a selectman before returning for his non-consecutive sixth term in 2022.
“In typical John Bruno fashion, he didn’t want anything big for his last meeting here,” said Haddad, who thanked express Bruno for his service. “In time of instability, you came back and provided the stability that the town needed.”
Jonathan Selig adds his appreciation, joking that “when I grow up, I want to be John Bruno.”
“We were in some tough times, and I always wondered if there was a bat signal that we sent out,” Selig says. “Because John heard it and to many degree rescued the town.”
Bruno, characteristically humble in his response, reflects on his time serving Halifax.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It’s really unnecessary. It’s my town, too, so I don’t mind pitching in when I can,” Bruno said. “This go-around has been an adventure, really, kind of an adventure in a lot of ways. But I think we’ve managed to bring things back to stability.”
Bruno returned to the board after the resignations of two Selectmen and the Town Administrator, leaving Selig on his own, creating a leadership vacuum in the town.
Following Haddad’s announcement, board members express their appreciation for his leadership during his time in Halifax.
“Cody came in at a crossroads much like you did,” Selig tells Bruno. “He not only settled the waters a little bit but kind of charted a course for us.”
Selig notes that many residents have approached him to praise Haddad’s work, calling him “a shining star,” adding “We went from putting out fires in the now to thinking down the road. And that was refreshing. We started developing plans for not just the next six months, the next couple weeks, but like, what are we going to do down the road?”
Thomas Pratt, the newest member of the board, offered his perspective: “I have nothing to compare Cody to. I think with my election about a year ago, just under a year ago, I was supposed to come in with some sort of adversary reaction to the status quo. I never had another town administrator besides Cody.”
“Anybody you talk to in town, in this building, in this room, has nothing but glowing things to say,” Pratt adds. “I always felt prepared. I was always ready. I was never surprised at what was before us.”
The board discusses beginning the search for Haddad’s replacement immediately, with Bruno suggesting they aim for some overlap between administrators to ensure a smooth transition.
“The end of July will come here faster than we realize it,” Bruno says. “It’s better to have ideally… some sort of an overlap where whoever this is, if we could get them in, say by the beginning of July even.”
Haddad offered to reach out to search firms to get proposals for the board to review at their next meeting.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better tenure,” Haddad says. “I think we accomplished a lot. The board has been phenomenal. I speak with my colleagues all the time, and many people are not as fortunate as I am to have had such a phenomenal board.”
He assures the board and residents that he remains committed to Halifax for his remaining months.
“I’m not going anywhere yet. I still have a few months of work here. We still have a lot of work to do. I’m not going to let off the gas here.”
Haddad also promises continued support even after his departure: “My number is not changing. Even if I’m no longer here, I’ll always be supportive of Halifax.”
The meeting also included the introduction of Joe Braga as interim building commissioner, approval of a motorcycle safety awareness proclamation, and discussion of a petition article for town meeting regarding land acquisition.
The board unanimously approved several other items, including a $1.3 million borrowing for water treatment plant upgrades, a contract for Town Hall portico repairs, and a three-year contract for Town Accountant Lindsay Martinelli.