School board approves amended Curriculum Associates deal; limits school spend authority

The School Board of Broward County on July 31 approved a second amendment to its agreement with Curriculum Associates to continue district-wide access to the I-Ready personalized learning platform while reducing the additional school-level spending authority that had been requested.

Board members and staff spent substantial time debating how much of the proposed $6.2 million request was guaranteed district purchases versus optional school-based purchases, and whether past school spending supported the proposed spend authority. District staff said the contract guarantees a district purchase of $3,795,892.96 for the I-Ready personalized pathway and diagnostic licenses; the remainder was described as optional school-based spend authority for supplemental materials such as teacher toolboxes and hard-copy “magnetic” readers.

The discussion centered on transparency and fiscal prudence. Board member concerns focused on missing exhibits in the amendment package and on reconciling the total figures staff presented. Melissa Holtz, Director of Elementary Learning, told the board, “Exhibit A for $3,795,892.96 is a guaranteed purchase from the district with Curriculum Associates,” and explained that the additional funds listed were for school-level optional purchases based on historical spending. District staff also reported $2,366,176 had been spent on school-based purchases in the prior contract period and that an $800,000 state grant for Tier III math intervention would be included in the spend authority.

After debate, the board approved a motion that amended the recommended action to authorize the guaranteed district purchase amount plus a reduced school spend authority. The board voted on a motion to reduce the requested spend authority for optional school purchases; that amendment passed by a close recorded vote. The final item was approved as amended.

Board members emphasized the educational value of I-Ready while also pressing for clearer prior-year spending data and for more complete contract exhibits when contracts are brought for board approval. Several board members asked procurement and curriculum staff to provide post-meeting documentation showing historical school purchases tied to Exhibit B/C and to clarify how the state grant would be used.

The district will proceed with the guaranteed I-Ready purchase for the coming term and with a smaller, board-approved pool of school-level spend authority; staff said they would return to the board if schools sought to exceed that amount.