Kings Local staff recommend Wit & Wisdom for K–5 English language arts; initial outlay about $325,000

Kings Local instructional leaders recommended adopting Wit & Wisdom as the K–5 English language arts curriculum after a spring pilot and a year of vertical-alignment work, saying the resource best met district priorities for writing, knowledge-building and supports for diverse learners.

Matt (Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs) told the board that the district assembled a K–12 ELA design team last year to produce a vertical-alignment document and new curriculum maps, and that K–5 materials were chosen to meet a new Ohio requirement that districts select ELA programs from a state-approved list. "We landed on Wit & Wisdom as our recommended resource," Matt said, citing its knowledge-based design, frequent writing opportunities, and alignment with the district's Power 5 skills such as communication and critical thinking.

District staff ran a teacher pilot this spring: multiple K–5 teachers received training in December, piloted modules after winter break, and reconvened in February and March to discuss classroom results. The pilot group compared Wit & Wisdom with EL Education. The district presented vendor cost estimates: EL Education print materials and associated costs totalled about $466,000 with professional development packages that ranged from $70,000 to $115,000; Wit & Wisdom's initial materials estimate was about $325,000 with recurring digital-license costs of roughly $40,000 per year.

Instructional leaders said both programs emphasize repeated engagement with texts and built-in writing assessments, but the pilot teachers favored Wit & Wisdom for its classroom fit and framework for teacher-led instruction. Matt said the district will run the list of required trade books and other required texts through its library review process to identify titles of concern; the district librarian (Chris Chamberlain) was assigned that check.

The presenters also noted funding context: the state provided a one-time allocation tied to the mandate (district staff said the allocation was $86,000) and the treasurer said the district had built those funds into the forecast but that additional local funds would be needed to cover the full one-time materials purchase. "The state sent us $86,000 last year and said you have until the end of this year to adopt something and spend the $86,000," Treasurer Michael Morrow said.

Next steps

Staff said they will bring a formal adoption item to the board for consideration on the next business meeting agenda, including the recommended contract and budgeting details. The district also flagged recurring digital-license costs and future replacement of trade books as ongoing budget items.

Ending

The board heard the recommendation and asked clarifying questions about printed materials, trade-book counts and state funding; no formal adoption vote occurred at the work session.