Manitowoc board votes to end Success for All contract after heated debate over cost and state alignment

The Manitowoc Public School District Board of Education voted to end its contract with the Success for All reading program at the end of the current school year after an extended, sometimes emotional debate over cost, curriculum alignment and future professional development.

Board members who supported the motion said SFA produced measurable gains but that continuing the program in its current form would be fiscally imprudent and would not align with recent state requirements for K–3 reading instruction (Act 20). Opponents warned that ending the contract now risks losing the coaching and coordination that SFA had provided and could disrupt classroom instruction.

The vote followed a recommendation from the curriculum committee to discontinue SFA. During committee and public discussion board members cited the program’s costs, the district’s lack of remaining ESSER funding, and new state requirements as the main reasons to move away from SFA. “It cost us $3,434,000 for two years,” a curriculum committee member said during the presentation of the recommendation. Board discussion also focused on whether the district could preserve SFA’s coaching and building-level coordination while adopting a different, lower-cost curriculum.

Supporters of ending SFA argued the district needs to show fiscal restraint as it prepares a $25 million referendum request for facility improvements, and they said many of SFA’s coaching and monitoring practices could be preserved under a new adoption. Some members also said that SFA’s internal measures can overstate gains compared with nationally normed screeners.

Opponents and several teachers and parents said SFA has produced important reading gains and stronger, coordinated reading instruction across buildings. They urged patience and a replacement plan before terminating the contract. One board member said, “I have a hard time getting rid of something that's working... to save money when they’ve stepped in to help us save money at home.”

When members voted, two board members voted no; the motion to end the contract passed.

The administration said it will proceed with planning for alternative curricula and professional development that would replicate the supportive coaching model for new or inexperienced teachers. District staff told the board they plan a short selection process and to schedule end-of-year and summer professional-development sessions so teachers can learn any new curriculum before fall instruction.

The board and staff repeatedly said they intend to preserve the data practices and the school-level coordination SFA introduced while reducing recurring costs. The district will publish comparative assessment data (internal curriculum checks and nationally normed screeners) to track progress after the transition.

Board members who opposed the motion said they expected more briefing material showing the cost difference between a full SFA year and a credible alternative; supporters said there was sufficient time to make a curriculum adoption and training plan that will be ready before the next school year.

The decision marks a major instructional and budget shift for the district. Board and district leaders said they will provide the public regular updates as staff evaluate alternatives and design summer training for teachers.