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Scott County board hears $1.37 million instructional materials proposal, opts for grade-by-grade pilot on approved reading programs
Summary
District staff presented a $1,367,597.03 instructional materials proposal for 2026–27 and recommended a mix of investments: one-time classroom library purchases for a K–1 approved reading program and a pilot rollout of an approved HQR for second grade, with the district to monitor results before broader adoption.
Stephanie Emmons presented the school district’s proposed instructional materials budget for 2026–27 and laid out recommended curriculum shifts and pilot plans.
Emmons told the board the request totals “$1,367,597.03,” which she said equates to roughly $137 per student. She described several program changes, including replacing Pathful with School Links for individual learning plans and counseling tracking, reducing some software licenses and reserving funding for professional learning tied to new materials.
On reading curricula, Emmons said kindergarten and first-grade teachers and principals preferred Wit & Wisdom/Arts and Letters because it retains Orton-Gillingham and Haggerty for phonics while adding stronger comprehension and library resources. She said the Arts and Letters package is “around $310,000,” of which approximately $204,000 is a one-time cost for physical classroom libraries.
Emmons proposed a cautious approach for third through fifth grade literacy: continue the current nonapproved program (magnetic literacy) where data are strong, pilot second grade on an approved HQIR to test whether investing in the approved resource for additional grades yields measurable student gains, and reconsider full adoption based on pilot results. “Let’s try it with second grade, and let’s watch the data and see if we get what we pay for,” she said.
Board members and teachers in the room discussed the tradeoffs between comprehensive, approved HQIRs — which come with higher upfront costs and implementation requirements — and the district’s existing nonapproved materials that are producing results in some grades. One teacher who has used an HQIR at two schools described large gains for students after teachers learned to implement the curriculum with fidelity.
Emmons emphasized implementation supports and professional development, noting KDE guidance expects initial fidelity in rollout and that the district will stagger investments to avoid one large budget hit.
No formal board vote to adopt a districtwide HQIR was recorded during the discussion. Emmons’ recommendation was for a targeted, grade-level pilot and for the board to review outcome data before committing to large-scale purchases.
Next steps: the district will pilot the approved HQIR in second grade in 2026–27, continue waiver-based use of current materials in grades where data support them, and report back to the board with pilot results and any formal adoption recommendations.
