Curriculum budget focuses on instructional materials, professional development shifts

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Dr. Anna Bates told the Triton Regional School Committee on Jan. 15 that the FY26 curriculum budget prioritizes high-quality instructional materials and professional development focused on building internal capacity.

“We ensure that students have access to learning experiences that are supported with high quality instructional materials and that we're also supporting our staff so that they can skillfully implement these materials,” Bates said.

Nut graf: Bates said the district’s four-stage curriculum review process is driving targeted purchases and implementation spending for expected adoptions in math and grade 5 social studies; at the same time, the professional development line falls because local staff have become trainers for peers and some earlier consultant-heavy supports are winding down.

Bates outlined specific line changes: a decrease in outside professional-development expenses as adoptions move from pilot to implementation; a $7,500 increase in course reimbursement to meet contractual obligations; roughly $15,000 more for instructional materials (licenses and end-of-license renewals); and nearly $10,000 more in contracted services to maintain benchmark assessments and evaluation platforms. She said some costs previously funded by grants are now shifting to the general fund as grant cycles end.

On specific adoptions, Bates said the district is piloting math programs and expects to recommend a middle- and high-school math resource in spring; grade 5 social studies uses an open-source, DESE-linked resource and can be implemented with little printing cost. There are no requested staffing changes in her budget.

Ending: Bates said she will return with formal recommendations as pilots conclude; the committee did not vote on the curriculum budget at the meeting.