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Olentangy board approves $2.76 million three‑year literacy adoption, citing state requirement and a $990,000 state contribution
Summary
The board approved a three‑year purchase of Benchmark Advance and the 95% phonics program for elementary literacy instruction, a contract the district said is required to align to the state's science-of-reading materials on the approved list; the 3‑year cost is $2,755,336.72 with a $990,000 state contribution noted by staff.
The Olentangy Board of Education approved a three‑year purchase on April 24 to adopt Benchmark Advance as the district’s core literacy program for grades K–5 and the 95% phonics program for grades 4–5. Curriculum staff told the board the total three‑year contract price is $2,755,336.72; the district reported a $990,000 state contribution toward the adoption.
Why it matters: district staff said Ohio law requires elementary English language arts resources to align with the science of reading and to be chosen from the state’s approved list. The purchase will affect about 10,000 Olentangy students in K–5 and approximately 3,500 students in grades 4–5 for the phonics component across all 17 elementary buildings.
Contract details and budgeting Michelle Blackley, the district’s chief academic officer, told the board the Benchmark Advance purchase is structured as a three‑year subscription of digital resources and student consumables. She said the three‑year contract price for Benchmark Advance is $2,190,425.42 and the three‑year contract price for the 95% phonics program is $564,911.30; together those figures total $2,755,336.72. Blackley said buying the program as a multi‑year contract both secured teacher training (25 days included) and produced a sizable savings compared with annual purchases and separate training costs. She told the board a single‑year purchase and renewal model would have cost about $3,220,000 over three years and would have required separate annual teacher‑training fees.
Cost-savings and existing resources Blackley said the district will continue to use an existing phonics program called Foundations for grades K–3 because it is on the state‑approved list; the 95% program purchase is targeted for grades 4–5. She said the three‑year arrangement included a discount (15% on the phonics program) and fixed pricing for the term, reducing the district’s projected long‑term cost exposure.
Vote and next steps The literacy adoption was included in the superintendent’s consent action items (a package of personnel, curriculum and other recommendations) and approved by the board in the consent vote. The board recorded approval on the April 24 consent calendar; the administration said part of the contract expense will be budgeted across fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
Ending Administration reiterated that the district’s selection was made to comply with state law while trying to limit cost through a multi‑year contract and existing program alignments; the board approved the purchase as part of its consent items at the same meeting.
