Board approves ELA curriculum for grades 9–10 and 100 desktop computers; combined cost about $240,700

The Pulaski County Special School District board approved two operational items at its June meeting: a grades 9–10 English language arts curriculum purchase and a request to buy 100 desktop computers for district offices.

Sierra Cole, the district’s lead ELA instructional facilitator, presented the curriculum adoption for grades 9 and 10. The proposal includes consumable textbooks for each student and accompanying online materials. The requested amount for the grades 9–10 materials is $170,817.24, to be paid in two installments over two years, per the presentation. Trustees approved the adoption by voice vote.

Separately, Director of Technology Scott Young asked the board to approve purchasing 100 desktop CPUs at a total cost of $69,900 to replace machines that cannot be updated to Windows 11. Young said existing front offices have usable monitors, so the purchase is for chassis/CPUs only. Trustees approved the desktop purchase; administration reported a larger technology refresh remains in the budget but the district will phase upgrades.

Trustees discussed that the curriculum purchase is the first phase of updating ELA materials across grade bands and that additional grades may be requested in future budgets. The technology purchase was framed as a near‑term necessity given Microsoft’s end‑of‑life timeline for older operating systems.

Combined, the two actions total about $240,700. Board materials indicated the curriculum cost was budgeted and would be paid across two fiscal years; the desktop purchase would come from the technology budget.