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McPherson board adopts updated MCC handbook, highlights community-based curriculum review
Summary
The Board approved an updated McPherson Curriculum Council (MCC) handbook after a presentation by MCC lead Randy Martinez McWilliams. The handbook formalizes a recurring, collaborative process for reviewing course additions and deletions and centralizes digital rubrics and materials.
The McPherson USD 418 Board of Education voted to adopt an updated McPherson Curriculum Council (MCC) handbook after a presentation by Randy Martinez McWilliams, who said the revision updates a six‑year‑old process and reflects feedback from council members.
Why it matters: The MCC handbook guides how the district evaluates course proposals, rubrics used for curriculum review and the membership and operation of the council that recommends class additions, deletions and changes. The council’s work affects secondary course offerings and instructional materials used in the district.
Martinez McWilliams told the board the MCC consists of roughly 25–26 members who meet monthly and include staff and parents. The handbook moves the committee’s materials into digital form, attaches subject‑specific rubrics, and streamlines membership rotation so experienced members can remain on the council to preserve institutional knowledge. "We encourage them to look at what's best for kids," Martinez McWilliams said, describing the review questions members ask when evaluating proposals.
The presenter said staff members who serve on the MCC are compensated for their time; parents and community members serve as volunteers. She described the committee process for handling parental objections to instructional materials: classroom‑level accommodations are possible first, and more formal objections can trigger a book‑review committee per existing board policy.
A board member praised Martinez McWilliams and the MCC process, noting other districts have consulted McPherson as a model. The handbook was moved, seconded and approved by the board.
Clarifying details included that class proposals are generally shared with MCC members several days before monthly meetings for review, that the council maintains subject‑specific rubrics, and that the MCC’s work primarily addresses course decisions at the middle and high school levels.
