The Curriculum and Instruction Committee of Horry County Schools voted to forward a package of early-literacy and third-grade retention proposals to the full school board after a presentation by district staff.

The committee heard data and recommendations from Lee James and Samantha Coy explaining revised intervention and tiered instruction strategies and five proposed investments to boost early literacy. The proposals posted to the committee would use unallocated funds in the current budget and total roughly $2 million, district staff said.

"We have about a hundred fewer students who are at risk of retention at the end of the year in the winter compared to those in the fall," Lee James said while summarizing fall-to-winter growth for students receiving tier 2 intervention.

Why it matters: Committee members said the investments aim to reduce third-grade retention risk and to expand proven interventions where elementary principals report unmet need. Committee approval sends the recommendation to the full board for action on funding and implementation.

District staff described five proposals the committee reviewed: (1) two additional release days per teacher (amended from an earlier four-day request) for planning and professional development tied to LETRS training, at a cost of $390,547.50; (2) approximately $10,000 per elementary school to allow each school to design an individual reading plan, total roughly $400,000; (3) increased hourly/positive-pay funding to expand part-time interventionists’ time, reduced from an earlier $500,000 ask to $250,000 because the year is already underway; (4) funding to maintain the previous year’s number of summer reading sites in light of lost ESSER funds, estimated at $578,958.31; and (5) $500,000 to restore after-school tutoring funding for 27 elementary schools.

Samantha Coy described ongoing changes in core curriculum and formative assessment work: Horry County Schools is implementing the HMH ELA curriculum, providing professional development on the new standards and LETRS practices, and piloting Reading Horizons at Riverside Elementary. Coy also said the district is piloting i-Ready diagnostic testing as a possible digital content and formative-assessment tool.

District finance staff told the committee the spending would come from unallocated fund balance. "When we finished last year up, we had approximately $31,200,000 in undesignated fund balance," the finance presenter said. After previously approved bonuses and additional principals, staff said the undesignated balance is roughly $25.3 million above the district’s minimum reserve.

Committee member Debbie Edmonds moved that the committee recommend the literacy strategies and funding package to the full board; Wendy Hodges seconded. The committee voted in favor by voice vote and the item will be placed on the school board agenda for consideration.

Next steps: If the full board approves the expenditures from unallocated funds, staff told the committee they could begin implementing components immediately.

Notes: The district referenced the Read to Succeed Act and said changes in that law may increase the number of third-grade students who qualify for summer reading camps. The presentation included internal benchmarks ("SC Ready" correlations) and fall-to-winter growth data for intervention students.