Wallingford-Swarthmore committee recommends Arts & Letters for elementary ELA but staffing questions remain

A central office administrator recommended adopting the Arts & Letters elementary English-language-arts program and the Education Affairs Committee voted to forward that recommendation to the full Wallingford-Swarthmore School District board for consideration at the May 19 meeting.

The recommendation follows a piloting and survey process in which 12 of 13 pilot teachers recommended Arts & Letters while 4 of 11 pilot teachers recommended Benchmark Advance; among 69 teachers who completed a broader survey, 77% selected Arts & Letters. The administrator told the committee that teacher training would begin June 13 with two three-hour sessions (K–2 and 3–5), continue with a six-hour day in August split into morning and afternoon sessions, and be supported by a three-year professional development rollout plan.

The committee heard detailed pilot feedback from teachers who took part in classroom trials. Multiple pilot teachers said Arts & Letters uses full-story picture books and authentic texts that foster sustained reading and richer classroom conversations, and that its writing components produced noticeable gains in student writing during short units. One teacher who identified herself as Emily Logan said the program complemented existing foundational instruction and emphasized the need for consistent implementation support.

Discussion at the committee focused as much on staffing and budget as on instructional materials. District staff and board members discussed whether the district will maintain five teachers on special assignment (TOSAs) devoted to elementary instruction and intervention or move to a smaller number of temporary TOSA positions this year while planning for permanent instructional-coach roles in 2026–27. The administrator said the preliminary budget currently funds four TOSA positions — three assigned to elementary and one assigned elsewhere — but the district is exploring options to restore or retain five positions for next year and to transition to a permanent instructional-coach model in 2026–27 if funding allows.

Board members and teachers raised concerns that reducing TOSAs could weaken rollout supports, particularly for students who need additional remediation or who have Individualized Education Programs. The administrator acknowledged those concerns and said the district is “taking those concerns very seriously” and would pursue budget options and provide an update at the May 19 board meeting about where TOSA funding stands.

Committee members also pressed for clarity on how TOSAs would be deployed if fewer positions are available. Staff described one option in which some TOSAs would rotate across schools to support math and science as well as ELA, while others would be assigned to specific schools to support ELA implementation. Staff said TOSAs this year are temporary, that some positions were originally budgeted as one-year roles, and that any future permanent instructional-coach positions would be advertised and filled through a standard hiring process that could include current TOSAs.

The committee made a formal recommendation to forward the Arts & Letters adoption to the full board for a May 19 vote; a committee member indicated acceptance of that recommendation and the motion was recorded. The administrator promised an update on TOSA funding ahead of the board meeting so trustees could see both curriculum selection and implementation plans together.

Implementation details that remain subject to board approval and final budgeting include the number of TOSAs for 2025–26, the exact training schedule (teacher materials are expected to be distributed in early June), and the district’s plan for a three-year professional development timeline. District staff told the committee that training materials would arrive between June 1 and June 13 and that summer and August training sessions are planned so school teams can prepare for fall instruction.

The committee’s recommendation ends the curriculum-selection phase at the committee level and sends the adoption decision, and the related implementation funding question, to the full school board.