The Clay County School Board voted 4‑1 on April 3 to approve the advertised adoption of K‑5 English Language Arts (Benchmark 2026), K‑4 mathematics intervention, and K‑12 personal finance materials following a public hearing and extended discussion.

The adoption followed a public comment period in which second‑grade teacher Melissa Neely told the board she and colleagues who reviewed the materials found Benchmark difficult to use for many students, lacked adequate early phonics and scaffolding for English‑language learners, and would require heavy supplementation. "Benchmark does not offer anything but a glossary for ELL students," Neely said during the public hearing, adding that Benchmark’s scope and sequence expected advanced student work very early in the year.

District literacy staff and adoption committee members defended Benchmark. Melanie McIver, supervisor of reading, said the vendor reworked the phonics component and added multisensory materials, decodables aligned to scope and sequence, weekly written exit tickets for progress monitoring, family resources in multiple languages and an intervention platform. McIver said committee reviews used the state adoption rubric and included teachers, parents and ELL representatives: "We really looked at the curriculum through what is the curriculum that will be most closely tied to the science of reading... Benchmark is a knowledge building curriculum," she said.

Board debate focused on instructional quality, cost and timing. One board member described the district's existing adoption (Savvas) as having "significant gaps" that require ongoing supplementation; another voiced concern about adopting an expensive set of materials while state funding was uncertain. A board member noted the approximate one‑time cost figure discussed in the meeting—about $3.4 million—and suggested district staff report how supplemental program costs (estimated in discussion at roughly $400,000) would change if Benchmark were adopted.

District staff said there is one year remaining on the current K‑5 adoption and that the state will announce which materials are approved for adoption in April. McIver said the district plans curriculum guides and professional learning to support teachers through implementation and noted Benchmark’s online tools and intervention resources are intended to reduce the need for external supplements.

The motion to approve was moved by Miss Gilhausen and seconded by Miss Clark. The motion carried 4‑1. The board did not adopt a schedule for classroom rollout at the meeting; staff will return with implementation plans and professional learning timelines.

What the adoption includes: the board approved Benchmark 2026 for K‑5 ELA; district staff also advertised approval for K‑4 mathematics intervention and a K‑12 personal finance course as part of the same adoption action. The district will still determine final ordering, shipping logistics and classroom rollout dates, and the state approval process remains a separate step for vendor eligibility.