Wilmington Middle School to Replace WIN Block With Shorter PAUSE Intervention System in Fall

NEWBURYPORT — May 14, 2026 — Wilmington School Committee hears sweeping middle school schedule overhaul, votes on Panama trip and audit report. Principal Brian Kyra and a team of educators presented a new Wilmington Middle School schedule for 2026-27 that replaces the daily WIN intervention block with a shorter, more flexible system called PAUSE — trimming intervention time from 45-50 minutes to 30 minutes and opening the block to all staff, not only core-subject teachers, a change backed by surveys showing 97.3 percent of staff and 93.3 percent of staff say WIN is "not currently meeting" students' needs. The committee also voted unanimously to approve a 2028 educational trip to Panama and Costa Rica at a per-student cost of $3,864, led by teacher Megan Burns through travel company Explorica. Business Manager Simmons presented the 2025 end-of-year audit, which contained one historical finding — no written procedures governing fund allocation between the town and the schools — and one administrative amendment; the report was accepted unanimously. The committee reorganized, re-electing Jesse Fennelly as Chair, Dr. Jeff Bryson as Vice Chair, and Stephen Turner as Secretary, all by unanimous voice vote.