$150K Grant Will Help Strengthen Literacy For Central Regional Students

BAYVILLE, NJ — A $150,000 New Jersey Department of Education grant will be used to strengthen literacy in the Central Regional School District by hiring a full-time coach, officials said.

The Cultivating Ongoing Achievement through Coaching in Literacy (COACH-L) grant exists to help school districts hire and train literacy coaches to support kindergarten through grade 12 educators within their schools. The term of the grant is five years.

The Central Regional School District serves five local elementary schools who send students to the district. More than 40 percent of the district’s students receive free and reduced lunch, indicating a large population of economically disadvantaged students, district officials said in a news release.

According to district Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder, the literacy coach will support the district’s approximately 40 English Language Arts teachers in implementing evidence-based literacy instruction by providing direct coaching, professional development and collaborative planning opportunities.

“The coach will serve as a vital resource for the district,” CarneyRay-Yoder said. “We expect the literacy coach to have a transformative impact on literacy outcomes for our students, improving state learning assessment proficiency and reducing the percentage of students requiring intensive support.”

CarneyRay-Yoder said that the grant comes at a time when the district is introducing a new comprehensive general educational framework designed to support the individual learning needs of every student. Called the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), the initiative is being implemented as a pilot program in the Central Regional Middle School (grades 7-9) this fall.

MTSS is not a special program or a separate service but a framework that uses data to determine students’ individual needs, addressing both remediation and enrichment and providing systematic support at multiple levels. The literacy coach will be integrated into that framework which will be rolled out districtwide for the 2026-27 school year.

Laura Venello, director of pupil services for the district, said the impact of the literacy coach will be measured by increased teacher efficacy in evidence-based literacy instruction, improved instructional practices and enhanced professional learning communities. In addition, she said the district will work closely with parents.

“Literacy extends beyond the classroom, and we will create consistent messages about literacy goals and strategies families can use at home,” Venello said. “Together, these commitments ensure that Central Regional is positioned to sustain the work beyond the grant funding cycle and transform literacy outcomes for all students.”