District says state-required reading screeners create significant proctoring cost
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
A district administrator told the board that one-on-one Act 20 reading screeners require roughly 24.5 substitute days and estimated the annual proctoring cost exceeds $10,000; administrators said they are providing feedback to legislators and DPI about the funding gap.
In administrative reports, a district official flagged the operational cost of implementing state-required reading screeners tied to Act 20 and the science-of-reading rollout.
The administrator said the screener process requires substantial staff time and proctoring: "In order to do that test that's done 1 kid at a time, we have to have 24 and a half substitute teacher days... you're looking at over $10,000 a year we're spending just to proctor the test that the state requires us to proctor." He described that cost as an "unfunded mandate" and said the district is communicating the burden to state representatives and DPI.
Board members confirmed the district has raised the issue with legislators and the Joint Finance Committee during recent meetings. The administrator noted that while the district is not criticizing the reading standards themselves, the unintended fiscal consequences of implementation require feedback to state actors.
No board action was taken at the meeting; administrators said they will continue to provide feedback to DPI and lawmakers.