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District staff recommends new science curriculum; board hears purchase estimates and requests waiver for one-year pilot
Summary
District staff recommended adopting new science materials for several grade bands and requested an emergency waiver to purchase a one-year license for a pilot; staff provided rough cost estimates and warned of a budget impact of roughly $108,000–$109,000 to the next fiscal year.
Staff presented proposed adoptions for the district science curriculum and asked the board to approve the adoptions and related purchases.
After the textbook-adoption committee and public input, staff recommended adopting Kiddom for K–5, a hands-on STEM-style curriculum for grades 3–5 as a one-year purchase, and McGraw Hill for grades 9–12. Staff said the K–2 science materials are already included in the district's ELA curriculum and therefore no separate purchase is needed for those grades.
Staff asked the board to approve a one-year purchase of the 3–5 Kiddom package now and to pursue a full eight-year adoption later; staff said a one-year purchase would require an emergency waiver because the adoption cycle timing does not align with the full-product readiness. Staff described the 8-year adoption cycle change (from six years to eight years) and said the district will temporarily purchase materials on a gap-year basis while the longer adoption is finalized.
During the presentation staff gave cost estimates for curriculum materials, including consumable and nonconsumable science kits. While some kit components (for example, microscopes and glassware) would be nonconsumable and purchased once for multi-year use, consumables would be replaced at intervals. Staff estimated the aggregate budget impact for the purchases discussed would be roughly $108,000–$109,000 in the next fiscal year; staff said that amount was not currently in the board's budget.
A motion to proceed with the adoption/purchase was made by Jimmy Dale and seconded by John, according to the transcript; the available excerpt does not record the roll-call or final outcome for that motion.
Board members asked clarifying questions about timelines and the one-year pilot approach. Staff said some existing district kits may be reusable, which could reduce purchase costs. Staff also noted that science curriculum purchases are more expensive than other instructional materials because of the laboratory kits and consumable supplies.
The transcript records staff emphasizing the need for hands-on STEM instruction and characterizing Kiddom as a finalist curriculum that would support those goals. The transcript does not record a final vote outcome for the recommendation in the provided excerpts.
