On a sunny summer afternoon in Brighton, Will Pierce leaned back in his chair and began speaking about the district he leads with an easy smile and a clear sense of purpose.
“I think we might be the district that can actually do this thing,” he said.
Pierce is referring to the ambitious and systemic goal of transforming public education so that it works for every student, particularly those who have been historically left behind due to poverty, language barriers or other challenges.
It’s the word “every” that stands out to him, and it’s grounded in the district’s mission statement: “27J Schools, in partnership with parents and community, empowers every student today to take control of their future tomorrow.”
“When you say ‘every student,’ it raises the bar,” Pierce said. “It forces us to ask who might be left out and what gaps we still need to close.”
The district uses the mission as a kind of strategic tension and a standard to evaluate whether its practices and outcomes align with its core purpose.
“We want the mission to continue to be more true now than it was before, both in the outcomes that we achieve and in the practices that we see in our classrooms every day,” Pierce said.
To help guide that alignment, 27J revised its core values into what Pierce calls the district’s four pillars: Believe, Integrity, All In and Compassion.
He describes the pillars as more than words. Rather, they are a daily standard for how the district operates and what it expects from students, staff and leadership alike.
Acknowledging that “believe” sounds like “believe in Santa,” Pierce clarified it’s more than that.
“Believe means seeing the potential in every student, and seeing every person as capable,” he said. “If you’re going to say you believe in something, then you also need the integrity to hold up a mirror and ask, ‘Are we actually doing it?'”
Budget strategy and hard truths
Despite the district’s ambitions, Pierce holds no illusions about the scale of the challenge.
“Even with the additional funding brought by the mill levy override that voters approved in 2022, we’re still about $800 per student below the state average. Multiply that by 25,000 students, and the funding gap becomes clear,” Pierce said.
This spring, the district approved a five-year budget that includes a planned drawdown of the general fund reserve. That plan helps leaders clearly explain the stakes to the public.
“If we don’t bring in more revenue, we will have to make cuts. Our community deserves to know that ahead of time,” Pierce said.
Pierce emphasized the importance of transparency and realism, without resorting to excuses.
“Leaders sometimes say, ‘We’re broke,’ but once you start using that language, it becomes an excuse not to be excellent. And students don’t care about excuses.”
That same mindset is shaping the district’s response to a recent federal funding freeze affecting several key grants. The status of whether those grants will come through is unclear, but they are currently on hold.
“We’re looking at just under a million dollars at risk,” he said. “Thankfully, we had contingency funds to carry us through this year. But beyond that, we’ll need to adjust.”
But his biggest concern involves a potential cut to Medicaid reimbursements tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said he called the Governor’s office to express concern about the potential impact of such a cut on special education services across the district.
“That one is different. It’s over $5 million and directly impacts special education services. That would be devastating. These are real kids, with real needs, who rely on those supports.”
Doing the most with what’s available
While many districts used pandemic relief funds to expand tutoring and summer programs, 27J prioritized its classrooms.
“We’re a district that has to focus on core instruction,” Pierce said. “We don’t have the resources for extras, so we focus on making every minute of classroom time matter.”
Each grade level and content area has clear learning goals, not just in reading and math, but also in science, social studies and career readiness.
He emphasized the need for innovation, even when it challenges outdated accountability systems.
“We have dashboards and internal measures to track growth,” he said. “But if you’re only focused on the state test, you’re going to stay the same. And we need to move forward.”
One publicly available dashboard reflects the outcomes families care about most: safety, connection and engagement.
“When we asked parents what mattered most, no one said ‘test scores.’ They said, ‘I want my child to feel seen. I want them to like school. I want them to want to go.'”
Relationships matter
That same student-first mindset guides how 27J addresses chronic absenteeism, which occurs when students are absent for more than 10% of the school year.
“We don’t focus on chasing kids down for attendance. We focus on understanding why they’re not showing up,” Pierce said. “Do they feel safe? Do they think someone cares that they’re there? That’s what we’re trying to address.”
Instead of punishment, the district prioritizes trust, family outreach and a stronger school culture.
“We removed cell phones during the school day so students would engage more with each other. And we’re working to make school more engaging, so kids want to be there.”
A district that does what it says
According to Pierce, what sets 27J apart is its commitment to follow through.
“We’re not promoting a vision we can’t deliver. We’re doing the work first,” he said. “I’ve worked in places where the words didn’t match the actions. That’s not how we lead here.”
The district continues to evolve with its growing student population and shifting identity.
“We used to be a small agricultural district. Even as we’ve grown, we’ve tried to keep that close-knit, family feel and that culture of care.”
“Think about a kindergartner walking into school for the first time. Maybe they don’t speak English yet, or maybe they’ve never had a book read to them. They’re already starting behind. And if we’re not careful, that student gets labeled,” Pierce said. “Teachers may start to see them as less capable, and the student starts to believe it, too.”
Such early labeling can shape a student’s trajectory, leading to lowered expectations, missed opportunities and diminished confidence. Educators and leaders across 27J are working to disrupt that cycle.
Pierce believes 27J can change that.
“We’re starting to see it. Kids are beginning to believe in themselves, and teachers are believing in them, too. That’s the work. And if any district can do it, I think it’s us.”