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Teachers Prefer Reading Horizons; Board Warned of $1M+ First‑year Cost and Recurring Licenses
Summary
District staff reported teacher survey results showing Reading Horizons as the top phonics choice (≈60% among top-performing K–3 teachers) but cautioned that implementation and recurring license fees could add roughly $987,000 in year one and about $212,460 annually thereafter, affecting next year’s comprehension curriculum budget.
Miss Jim Dan presented committee members with the results of a district phonics curriculum review and a teacher survey that drew 246 responses, showing Reading Horizons Discovery as the top overall choice (about 57.7%) and roughly 60% support among the district's highest‑performing K–3 phonics teachers. She said the district convened an ICC phonics team and provided review windows at every school for teachers and families to evaluate three finalist curricula.
The presentation summarized teacher and principal feedback: Reading Horizons was praised as comprehensive, engaging and responsive, with a clear scope and sequence for kindergarten through second grade. Concerns included lesson length (a typical 40‑minute lesson that can be split), a need to integrate Heggerty routines for K–1, and technology demands — staff estimated approximately $100,000 in iPads or touchscreen Chromebooks for efficient classroom use.
On costs, Miss Jim Dan presented vendor quotes for a selected implementation tier: a three‑year professional development package (middle tier) priced around $438,500 combined with an initial one‑year quote of roughly $423,753 for student and teacher materials and software. Staff summarized that the first‑year total would be about $987,000 and that recurring annual license/renewal costs could be around $212,460, producing a three‑year cost in the low‑to‑mid $1.4 million range depending on renewal assumptions.
Board members pressed for a consolidated three‑year comparison and a per‑student cost. Members also asked whether Reading Horizons would replace Heggerty; staff said there is strong teacher interest in keeping Heggerty for early grades because of student engagement and that Reading Horizons could be paired with Heggerty as a tier‑2 approach in some implementations. The committee also discussed alternatives, including renewing Witten Wisdom for one year or shifting to Arts & Letters (a 60‑minute block variant) to avoid a full comprehension adoption next year.
Miss Damon said staff will return to the regular meeting with a side‑by‑side cost‑per‑student spreadsheet and clarified that the teacher surveys were intended to inform the board’s decision, not to make an automatic adoption. The committee heard that the adoption choice would significantly affect the overall K–12 curriculum budget and might limit what the district could do for next year’s comprehension curriculum unless additional funding is identified.
Next steps: staff committed to produce a per‑student comparison and further clarity on implementation options, technology needs, and the multi‑year license commitments before any binding contract is signed.
