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Veteran teacher tells board 'Beyond Textbooks' is a framework, not curriculum
Summary
A 28-year educator urged the board to stop funding a program called Beyond Textbooks, calling it a "framework" rather than a curriculum and saying the district has spent more than $400,000 since 2015 on training and materials that she described as ineffective.
During the call to public, Jeanette Schottie, who identified herself as a 28-year veteran educator, urged the governing board to review the district’s investment in a resource she called "Beyond Textbooks."
Schottie said the program is "neither embedded nor research based curriculum" and described it as "a loosely organized collection of worksheets, test banks, and unwrapped standards offering no structured lesson planning, no cohesive assessments, and no clear instructional pathway for teachers." She asserted that the district has spent "over $400,000" on the program since 2015 and cited "$10,000 training sessions for just a few teachers" and travel costs as examples of spending she questioned.
"If student achievement is our priority, why are we spending tens of thousands of dollars on a system that doesn't serve our teachers or students?" Schottie asked. She said most teachers she works with do not use Beyond Textbooks and urged the board to "do a deep dive" into the program and invest instead in “true evidence based curriculum that supports teachers and drives student success.”
Board members did not take action during the public-comment segment; the superintendent and staff did not respond during the call to public other than to note the public-comment rules and process.
