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Elkhorn Area School District board backs HMH K–5 ELA adoption after unanimous committee recommendation
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Summary
After a year-long pilot and cross-building review, the school board approved staff’s recommendation to adopt the HMH K–5 English language arts program under a six-year purchase plan; the committee cited stronger alignment, EL and special-education supports and teacher-facing assessments, while state reimbursement under Act 20 remains uncertain.
The Elkhorn Area School District board voted April 13 to approve staff’s recommendation to adopt the HMH K–5 English language arts program following a year‑long pilot and a unanimous committee recommendation.
Amy g, identified in the record as the district’s KPI director of instruction, told the board the cross-building committee — which included classroom teachers, reading specialists and special-education staff — completed extensive site visits and pilot work and "ended up with a 100% of our committee saying, yep, we are ready." The committee recommended a six‑year purchase to provide stability and reduce the need for ongoing supplementation.
Pilot teachers who spoke to the board said HMH offered strong student materials, visual vocabulary supports and an assessment bank that can be tailored to weekly or unit assessments. Third‑grade teacher Carrie DeGott said she was "so impressed by all of the pieces" she saw, praising the program’s varied genres and vocabulary supports and noting that assessments produced useful, teacher-ready data. Reading specialist Karen Brown told the board she saw HMH’s phonics and foundational-skill materials as valuable and noted the committee favored continuity across grade levels.
Staff acknowledged areas to monitor, including writing pacing and any small supplements teachers might request. The presentation noted the district has set aside $125,000 for this year’s purchase and penciled in another $125,000 for next year; staff described the total as a multi-year cost and said the exact percentage of potential state reimbursement under "Act 20" was unknown at the time of the presentation.
Board members asked whether the program would require substantial supplementation and how student workbooks would hold up over repeated annual distribution. Staff said HMH’s phonics and tier‑2 resources could reduce reliance on separate interventions and that the program’s teacher platform and printable student materials were strengths.
After discussion, a board member moved to adopt the elementary ELA resource as presented; the motion was seconded and the board voiced approval. The board also received a link to the committee’s pilot notes and supporting materials for further review.
The district will now work through procurement and budget scheduling for the six‑year purchase and will report back to the board on implementation details and any required classroom adjustments.
