Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews K–5 ELA and world‑language options; K–5 ELA second read to include cost phases
Summary
Curriculum committee recommended two top K–5 ELA options (HMH Into Reading and McGraw‑Hill Wonders) and identified world‑language vendors for Spanish and French; board received first readings and will consider phased purchase and supplemental materials at next meeting.
District curriculum staff presented first readings for K–5 English language arts and for world languages, summarizing vendor review scores, committee feedback and estimated costs.
Speaker 5 described the adoption process and committee scoring: HMH (Into Reading) and McGraw‑Hill (Wonders) emerged as the top choices after teacher and parent review. Committee scoring favored HMH in early reading components for foundational skills; one board member who piloted the materials with her children said both students preferred HMH’s usability.
Staff reported McGraw‑Hill’s best‑and‑final offer at roughly $600,790 for a 7‑year package with digital courseware and annual student workbooks, while HMH’s negotiated price came in with a different structure (staff described a lower average yearly cost in updated offers). Administration said they will pursue multi‑year payment options to spread adoption costs and will provide supplemental resource options and usage data (for previously purchased tools such as Writable) at the next meeting.
On world languages (Spanish and French), curriculum reviewers recommended a top vendor for Spanish and the same vendor for French, but staff cautioned quote responses remain pending and final costs (hard copy vs. digital) will be updated before the second read.
Board members asked about usage data for higher‑level tools and whether secondary usage could be shifted to benefit elementary needs; staff said vendors typically negotiate flexible usage but provided no firm commitments yet. The board will consider a second reading with supplemental recommendations next month.
