Newport Independent School District teachers and staff continue to fill the room during board of education meetings.
Since a Feb. 26 board of education meeting where the Newport Teachers Association called for a “no confidence” vote in Newport Superintendent Tony Watts, teachers have continued to attend meetings and ask questions. Three teachers spoke during the March 26 meeting, citing a lack of communication from the central office staff and concern regarding the effectiveness of programming.
Newport teacher Beth Kuhnell addressed the board of education and said a sense of teamwork and collaboration does not exist among central office staff and teachers.
Kuhnell said even without the “financial failings” the district is facing this year, she would still be standing there tonight, holding others accountable. The financial failings Kuhnell is referring to are a $3.9 million budget deficit that former Newport Schools Finance Director Jennifer Hoover said the school district faces for the 2026 school year during a Jan. 22 regular meeting.
“In the past two years, numerous teachers had zero conversations with the central office about collaboration, data-driven decision making, and system effectiveness,” Kuhnell said. “Requests for curriculum support with specific platforms has been denied. Data-supported platforms were cut without an alternative replacement, specifically for moving reading levels grades nine through 12. These are only a few.”
For a comprehensive look at what’s going on in Newport Schools,click here.
Elizabeth Bravo is a second-grade teacher at Newport Primary School. She addressed the board on Wednesday and said she is in her sixth year teaching at Newport Schools.
“I stand before you to address critical concerns regarding the implementation of the Educational Epiphany Program and the broader issue of communication and support between central office and teachers,” Bravo said.
Education Epiphany is a consulting and publishing company. Bravo said that at first, teachers were told there would be no new books or materials with the program, but then they were given flashcards and teaching materials to start implementing in their teaching.
“This immediate discrepancy created confusion and distrust amongst the teachers,” Bravo said.
She said several teachers, including herself, were asked to create and present sample lessons in the Education Epiphany style but weren’t told why or how they would be used or the goals.
“At the last board meeting, when the curriculum department stated that they meet with and work with teachers all the time on a regular basis, I was confused, as it has not been my personal experience over the past several years,” Bravo said.
Furthermore, Bravo said she had to address the manner of communication between the central office and teachers.
“There are numerous instances where teachers feel spoken down to, ignored, or treated unprofessionally,” Bravo said. “The level of professionalism, particularly from Mr. Watts, is concerning.”
Malone said the school board has begun its superintendent evaluation process, which is due at the end of June. The board held a closed-session meeting on March 19 to begin those discussions.
“The board did meet with Mr. Watts,” said Newport Board of Education Chair Ramona Malone. “We had a discussion with him, and we outlined our expectations from him going forward. So, we will be continuing to work with Mr. Watts.”
Dustin Caudill, an instructional coach at Newport High School, also addressed the board. Caudill said he worked in the Boone County School District for 12 years before coming to Newport.
“After attending the last few board meetings and having worked in this district for the last two years, my concerns regarding the functionality of Newport Independent Schools rests in a set of nine questions, only nine, just to keep it short,” Caudill said.
Some of Caudill’s questions are below:
- Since reading proficiency at the third-grade level has the most impact on the rest of a student’s academic career, why isn’t third grade included in the primary school, given its importance for testing and continuity with previous teachers?
- How will teachers be involved in selecting and providing feedback on curriculum resources?
- How will data from district walk-throughs be used to inform and communicate the needs of students and staff?
- Given our budgeting concerns, how are we leveraging the strengths of current staff members to maximize resources within our buildings?
“My point here is that, based on my experience, the only way that I have ever seen districts succeed is through collaboration,” he said. “If Newport is going to stick to the slogan ‘Moving forward together,’ I suggest we start answering these questions now.”
NAACP President Jerome Bowls spoke at the meeting and said he supports Newport’s administration and teachers.
“We at the NAACP continue to support our superintendent, Mr. Watts, and our school board,” Bowls said. “We want to ask everyone here at Newport Independent Schools to continue to challenge each other, to build back better, to continue to make Newport better, to continue to advance the education of all the students. Call on us to help out because we are here as a collaborative partner.”
Malone said the board is just as concerned about what is happening in the district.
“As board members, this is a voluntary position for us,” she said. “I want you to know that we do this because we want to make a difference. Education, to me, is the equalizer.”
Watts attended the school board meeting virtually and did not directly address any of the teachers’ comments.
