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Board reviews proposed course adoptions totaling several hundred thousand dollars; trustees press district for phased plan
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Summary
Administrators presented seven‑year proposals for law & public safety, AP sciences, health/PE, and a foreign‑language adoption; trustees said cost and timing require a clear, districtwide adoption timeline tied to budget priorities.
District administrators presented several proposed seven‑year curriculum adoptions at the April 28 Derby Board of Education meeting and provided cost estimates for each. The presentations were part of the district’s ongoing materials‑adoption cycle; trustees debated priorities and the timing of purchases amid other capital needs.
Dr. Holly Putnam Jackson described the materials and pilot feedback for each proposed adoption. Highlights presented by staff included:
- Law & Public Safety (DHS pathway): teachers recommended Cengage with MindTap for a seven‑year cost of $82,680, citing real‑world scenarios and Canvas integration. The pilot included law enforcement 1 and 2 and related materials.
- AP biology, AP chemistry and AP physics: teachers piloted multiple texts and recommended Pearson and McGraw‑Hill options; the combined seven‑year cost for the three AP science adoptions, including lab and instructional materials, is $130,702.12.
- Physical education / health / wellness and nutrition: the recommended package (Goodheart‑Willcox core text plus supplemental resources, CPR/AED training and videos) was estimated at $146,710.59 for seven years.
- Foreign language: middle‑ and high‑school Spanish and other flex languages were presented for a seven‑year adoption at $149,588.83. Teachers indicated the district would lose access to current instructional support materials if the board did not adopt replacement materials this cycle.
Board members supported the goal of keeping materials current but expressed concern about the timing and size of cumulative curriculum purchases. “Textbooks for public education are extremely expensive these days,” Board Member Michael said, asking the administration to present a prioritization timeline and to identify which adoptions are most urgent. Several trustees said reading (elementary literacy) and staff compensation are high priorities and urged the administration to show how new purchases would fit into the broader budget.
Superintendent Heather Bohaty said the district can compile a multi‑year plan that staggers purchases and notes legal or licensure constraints (for example, where teacher licenses or access to instructional resources would lapse). Board Member Melanie and others asked for a clear grid showing adoption dates, estimated costs and which items could be deferred without loss of instructional support.
The board approved one curriculum item at the meeting: the foreign‑language adoption, 5–1. The other proposed adoptions were presented for discussion and will return to the board for action in future meetings pending the requested budget/timeline analysis.
Quotes from the meeting
“Textbooks for public education are extremely expensive these days,” Board Member Michael said while urging the board to prioritize budget and staffing needs before approving multiple large adoptions.
“Some of our courses will lose access to instructional support if we do not act this cycle,” Dr. Holly Putnam Jackson said when explaining urgency for certain materials.
Next steps
District staff agreed to return with a recommended multi‑year adoption timeline and cost‑phasing options to help trustees weigh curriculum purchases against capital projects and staffing priorities.
