Belton ISD board adopts Savvas ELA and Bluebonnet math for K–5; rollout to include two-year teacher training

The Belton Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday, April 2025 voted 7 to 0 to adopt new high‑quality instructional materials for the 2025–26 school year, selecting Savvas My View Literacy for K–5 English language arts and Bluebonnet math for K–5. The board also approved continuing the district’s current high‑school math resources for Algebra II and geometry.

The adoption makes the district eligible for additional state funding attached to materials designated as “high quality” under recent state rules. Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Gabriela (Gabby) Nino said the choices align with a statewide review process and the district’s instructional framework: “Tonight, we are going to discuss our process that we put in place for the consideration of instructional materials and would like to have the opportunity to discuss and and take action on those.”

Why it matters: House Bill 1605 expanded the State Board of Education/TEA review of instructional resources, creating an Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process and tying extra funding to materials on the approved list. District staff told trustees that using materials on the approved list qualifies Belton ISD for an additional $40 per student allocation; because the recommended K–5 math resource is a TEA‑adopted open education resource, the district will also receive an additional $20 per student earmarked for printing required materials.

District review process and stakeholder input The materials recommendation followed a multi‑step process staff designed to be repeatable for future adoptions. District leaders said the process included: district and campus instructional leaders, teacher representatives from every campus, instructional coaches, special education and bilingual reviewers, and parent/community reviewers who were given both in‑person and digital access to candidate materials. Teachers and campus leaders evaluated materials both for classroom usability and for how coaching and PLCs could support implementation.

Staff described the selection outcomes as follows: - K–5 English language arts: recommend adoption of Savvas My View Literacy (Savvas) based on teacher usability, alignment to the district’s reading practices and the science of reading foundations in place across campuses. - K–5 math: recommend adoption of Bluebonnet math (TEA‑adopted open education resource) based on a structured lesson design and supports that district leaders said will fit the district’s math academies rollout. - High‑school math: continue with current resources in Algebra II and geometry; staff said the existing resources remain on the TEA high‑quality list and the cost/benefit did not support changing them now.

Rollout, training and costs Trustees were told implementation will include a two‑year runway of professional learning and embedded, job‑embedded coaching. Staff said the plan will use a trainer‑of‑trainers model, district instructional coaches, campus content leads and the TEA Math and Reading Academies supports. The district said it expects to begin summer training and continue into the 2025–26 school year.

Staff provided funding details during the presentation: adoption of approved high‑quality materials yields a $40 per student allotment to support implementation. Because Bluebonnet math is an adopted open education resource, the district will also receive a $20 per student allocation to cover printing costs for certain math materials embedded in the math academies. Staff also identified supplemental needs, including math manipulatives; a district estimate shown in the presentation listed about $38,000 as the anticipated supplemental manipulatives cost to “fill gaps” where existing classroom kits are insufficient.

Trustee questions and vote Board members asked about teacher perspectives, bilingual/Spanish materials alignment and how the district will avoid disrupting initiatives already underway (for example, the district’s Foundations phonics implementation). Nino said all adopted resources on the TEA list are required to be 100% TEKS‑aligned and that Savvas includes approved Spanish materials, allowing bilingual and dual‑language classrooms to receive new materials simultaneously.

Miss Bass moved to approve the adoption as presented; the motion passed by vote of 7 to 0. The board did not record a named second in the public transcript. Trustees did not attach conditions to the approval in the motion recorded on the meeting record.

What’s next District staff will finalize the implementation plan, begin trainer and teacher professional learning this summer, and phase materials and supplemental kits into classrooms across two years. Superintendent Dr. Golden thanked staff for the work presented to trustees.