Southbridge School Committee Re-elects Davison Chair, Hears District-Wide Proficiency Gains

School Committee · Meeting of July 15, 2026

Southbridge School Committee re-elects Brittany Davison as chair and returns three members to office. Town Clerk Maddie Bonitas swore in Carla De La Cruz Davila, Frank Kavinsky, and Stephanie Rivers to three-year terms expiring June 30, 2029 at the July 15 reorganization and regular meeting. Davison was re-elected chair six to one and De La Cruz Davila was unanimously elected vice chair.

Superintendent Bill, participating by video from a statewide conference in Mashpee, reported broad gains across all five school buildings in the 2025-26 year: West Street School posted a 94.1 percent daily attendance rate and nearly a 50 percent drop in chronic absenteeism, while Eastford Road School exceeded the district's 20 percent proficiency target with a 27.4 percent math improvement on the iReady system. The high school recorded a 40 percent reduction in suspensions and a 10 percent graduation rate increase. The committee voted unanimously to appoint Maria Torres as ELPAC representative and Norma Tisnick as CPAC representative, and discussed returning to twice-monthly meetings as part of the district's push to regain local governance from state oversight, with members citing a target of 2027 to 2028.

In the full story:

• Rivers put forward five proposals
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,494 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.