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Wall Township to fund new textbooks, pilot materials and expanded curriculum revisions
Summary
The curriculum-and-instruction portion of the 2025–26 budget would fund textbook adoptions, piloted instructional materials in K–12 courses, consumables and expanded professional-development platforms, administrators said.
Jennifer McCann, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, outlined curriculum and instructional priorities at the Feb. 25 budget workshop, saying the budget is aligned to the district’s strategic plan and aims to support curriculum updates, instructional resources and professional development.
McCann said K–8 materials and Algebra I, geometry and Algebra II have piloted new instructional resources and that Advanced Placement U.S. History textbooks will be updated in the budget. The draft also includes consumable workbooks for K–5 reading and writing, math workbooks and novels for grades 6–12, plus supplies for music, art and technology classrooms. McCann said many textbook adoptions include both classroom sets and digital access that students can reach with district Chromebooks.
She also described the district’s reliance on digital assessment platforms and listed operational platforms that support instruction and administration, including Genesis for student information, as well as SchoolFi, Frontline and iObservation. McCann said the district expects federal allocations for Title I, II, III and IV subgrants in late May or June and that those allocations will influence final funding decisions for some programs.
McCann and administrators noted that federal ESSER funds that supported supplemental programs are no longer available after Sept. 30, 2024, and that costs for programs such as the Elementary Summer Night Academy (about $90,000 last year) now must be incorporated into the general fund to continue offering them.
Questions from board members focused on textbook formats and digital access; McCann said elementary adoptions include both digital and consumable components and that many secondary adoptions will be classroom sets with digital student versions accessible via Chromebook.
The curriculum-and-instruction priorities McCann cited are curriculum revision (this summer focusing on mathematics, multilingual education, world language and electives), research-based instructional materials and expanded professional development for staff.
