Greenfield School Committee Votes to Commission Independent Literacy Audit of Elementary Schools

GREENFIELD — May 13, 2026 — Greenfield School Committee votes 3-2-2 to commission an independent literacy audit of elementary schools. The May 13 vote, driven by Member Lisa Goodwin, directs the superintendent to hire an experienced outside literacy consultant to examine all components of literacy instruction across the district's elementary schools before the end of the 2025-26 school year — a timeline Superintendent Roland Joyal acknowledged is likely unrealistic given procurement requirements. Goodwin argued that 94 percent of Massachusetts high schools outperform Greenfield High School on literacy measures. Assistant Superintendent Steven Sullivan noted the district is already working with a literacy consultant under a DESE-monitored instructional prioritization plan, with end-of-year benchmark data due after June 12. The committee also received a no-cost electric vehicle charging station proposal from Fulcrum Energy Solutions covering six school buildings under the state's MassEVIP grant, heard that the district spent $18,120 on Yonder cell phone pouches in FY25 and $9,993 in FY26, voted unanimously to support state bill H1399 on retiree health care, and — after executive session — unanimously approved the contract renewal for the district's director of people services.