Center Grove board adopts curricular materials after debate over digital versus paper resources

The Center Grove Community School Corp. board approved a package of curricular materials and associated fees following a multi-part presentation about cost, consistency and instructional quality.

Administrators said the recommendation prioritizes high-quality, reusable hardcover novels at the secondary level, class sets instead of one-to-one purchases where feasible, and limited use of consumable workbooks with recommended three-year purchasing cycles to reduce long-term cost. "We want to provide high-quality curricular materials that support the implementation of a guaranteed and viable experience for our students across all learning experiences," a district presenter said.

The presentation recommended HMH for middle school language arts as a product on the Indiana high-quality curricular materials list and proposed a digital-only middle school adoption where assessments provide standards-level analysis. For elementary science and social studies, administrators proposed a two-year digital subscription to Newella as a way to deliver differentiated, nonfiction content and better align reading and content instruction across grades. Presenters said departments and a review committee, which includes community members and bias/cultural relevancy checks, vetted the adoptions and that adopted materials were posted for public inspection.

Board members pressed administrators on price structures and the district’s funding shortfall. Dr. Taylor said the state provides $158 per student for textbook/materials purposes but that district average per-student costs remain higher; he added that rising software subscriptions and device costs contribute heavily to the gap. "The rising costs in here are these software subscriptions and the devices the students use," Dr. Taylor said, adding that some departmental reductions were not yet reflected in the fall data.

A motion to approve the recommended curricular materials and associated fees passed by voice vote, recorded as 4–0.

Next steps include implementing the adopted resources at the indicated grade levels and continuing the multi-year adoption schedule for other departments. Administrators said they will bring future adoptions (e.g., secondary social studies in the next year) back to the board after department review and continued cost-reduction efforts.