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Manitowoc committee approves Character Strong for K-5 social-emotional instruction
Summary
The Curriculum and Instruction Committee approved a multi-year purchase of the Character Strong social-emotional learning curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade, funded primarily through CCEIS and school-based mental health dollars, with a phased rollout beginning at the universal (Tier 1) level.
The Curriculum and Instruction Committee of the Manitowoc School District approved a recommendation to adopt Character Strong as the district’s social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade and to pursue a multi-year contract using CCEIS and school-based mental health funds.
District staff said the adoption is intended to preserve and expand gains previously seen through Success for All’s Getting Along Together component after the district moves to a new literacy curriculum.
Lynette Simona, program support in Student Services for the Manitowoc School District, told the committee that Character Strong “received the highest rating by CASEL.” She described the program as research-backed and emphasized that it includes a three-tiered multi-level system of supports (MLSS) that covers universal classroom instruction plus tier 2 and tier 3 interventions and coaching for school teams.
Simona said the program’s weekly lesson component is short: “There’s a main component to every weekly lesson, which is about 20 minutes.” She also described built-in screening, progress monitoring, on-demand training, a video library, parent newsletters translated into Spanish and an assigned coach to support building teams during implementation.
Committee discussion addressed cost and funding. District staff presented a vendor quote structured across multiple years for six elementary schools and explained that dividing the initial contract amount by five years and by six schools yields roughly $6,000 per school per year. Staff said the district would use a combination of CCEIS (Coordinated Comprehensive Early Intervening Services) set‑aside funds administered through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and school-based mental health funds to pay for the purchase.
A board member, speaking during the meeting, said, “I love the fact that there's coaching available because that ensures everybody's using their language similarly across the board,” citing coaching as an implementation strength that supports consistent practice across buildings.
The committee approved a motion to purchase the Character Strong package for elementary schools, with implementation to begin at the universal (Tier 1) level and phased scaling to tier 2 and tier 3 as the district establishes a common foundation. Staff said they will prioritize training and coach support at the start of the school year and then expand targeted interventions over time.
Next steps include finalizing a multi-year contract with the vendor, confirming exact year‑by‑year expenditures from CCEIS and school-based mental health funds, and scheduling building-level implementation supports with the assigned coach. Staff will report back to the board on implementation details and first-year rollout outcomes.
