Murfreesboro board approves K–8 social studies curriculum; district to buy classroom sets for middle grades

The Murfreesboro Community Unit School District 186 board approved a K–8 social studies curriculum for the 2025–26 school year, selecting a mix of digital and print materials and planning purchases supported in part by a Title I year‑one grant. Heather, identified at the meeting as the committee lead, told the board the committee reviewed multiple options for each grade band and decided on the Open Court series for kindergarten through fifth grade and an HMH curriculum for grades six through eight. Heather said Scholastic News will supply current-events material and that most materials will be digital. "We have all online for 6 year stuff. We have tiny kits that we're gonna order, Scholastic News that's gonna be current events which will be 6 years that we're gonna order. Again, everything will be digital," Heather reported. The board discussed textbook availability; Heather said classroom book sets for middle school would be purchased to provide in-class copies and special‑education sets, with a quoted classroom cost of about $11,000 for those books. The board also said consumable materials for elementary grades and digital access plans were included; Heather noted that consumable classroom materials for Caruthers would be replaced each year. The curriculum adoption was approved by unanimous roll call vote. The district indicated the purchases and kits will be incorporated into its Title I year‑one spending plan; the meeting record states the social studies kits will be included in that grant but does not provide a detailed budget breakdown in the public minutes. The board voted to take up high school social studies adoption in a future meeting.