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Board approves elementary ELA curriculum recommendation after teacher‑led pilot and negotiated vendor discount
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Summary
The board approved an elementary English language arts curriculum recommendation (Great Minds 'Wit & Wisdom' / Arts & Letters second edition to be used with UFLY foundational supports) after a year‑long pilot and negotiations that reduced the cost of later‑year invoices.
Trustees approved the elementary English language arts curriculum recommendation as part of the consent agenda on March 17 after staff reported on a year‑long pilot, teacher voting results and vendor negotiations.
Instructional leaders said about 100 teachers volunteered for the pilot. A selection committee first compared two programs and later reviewed the second edition of the recommended program (described as 'Arts & Letters' / the Great Minds second edition). According to the presentation, teacher reviewers initially preferred the Great Minds approach in a 50‑to‑10 vote and later supported the second edition by 99‑to‑6 after reviewers evaluated implementation improvements.
District staff said they negotiated the costs for years four and five of the multi‑year agreement after identifying an invoice that appeared higher than expected; the vendor (Great Minds/partner 'Great Minds' as described in the packet) revised the two later‑year invoices to approximately $109,000 each (for '28‑'29 and '29‑'30), reducing the overall long‑term cost below an initial $225,000 ceiling discussed with the board. The first three years of implementation are grant funded, staff said.
Trustees asked about accessibility, alignment with Michigan reading legislation and classroom implementation. Staff said the recommended program pairs with UFLY (University Literacy supports) for structured‑literacy foundations in early grades and that walkthroughs and teacher supports will be scheduled prior to full implementation.
The curriculum recommendation was included in the consent agenda and approved by unanimous voice/roll call as part of the consent motion moved by Trustee Wilkerson and supported by Trustee Schmidt.
Next steps: staff will finalize vendor contracts, schedule implementation walkthroughs for trustees, and coordinate professional learning for teachers.
