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Saco school board unanimously adopts CKLA K–5 English language arts curriculum
Summary
At its April 8 meeting the Saco School Board voted 7–0 to adopt the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade under a six-year contract starting in the 2026–27 school year. Funding will come from FY27 local allocations, Title funds, and end-of-year FY26 unspent materials.
The Saco School Board voted unanimously April 8 to adopt the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program for kindergarten through fifth grade under a six-year contract beginning in the 2026–27 school year. The motion, made by Chair Truman and seconded by School Board member Warnock, passed 7–0 on a roll-call vote.
The board heard a presentation from Meg, the curriculum committee representative, who said the district has been nearly two years into a K–5 curriculum review and piloted resources in classrooms. "We are now ready to make a recommendation to the full board to adopt the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program for our first through fifth graders in its entirety," Meg said, describing CKLA Skills and the K for me extension for kindergarten and pre-K.
The district described the first-year cost as the largest portion of the investment, with recurring annual costs expected to be lower. Meg told the board funding would be split across three buckets: allocations in the FY27 proposed local budget; Title funds to cover professional development; and remaining FY26 materials line items not fully expended to acquire teacher guides before the end of the school year.
Board members asked about staff buy-in and pilot results. Meg said pilot teachers reported positive experiences and the committee held grade-level meetings for pilot teachers to share their findings. On assessment, she said the district used NWEA RIT scores to evaluate changes and cautioned that growth curves are steeper in younger grades, so year-to-year comparisons can be misleading during a pilot year.
Truman moved the adoption motion after the discussion. The board’s unanimous vote means the district will begin contract and implementation planning, including professional learning for teachers and placement of materials, ahead of the 2026–27 school year.
Implementation timeline and next steps: the district said it will distribute teacher materials as available, schedule professional development (partly supported by Title funds) and work through procurement processes for any additional purchases.
