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District proposes districtwide rollout of Sunday literacy program after pilot sites show strong gains
Summary
Staff presented evidence that the Sunday structured literacy program (Imagine Learning) improved reading outcomes at pilot sites; the district proposed a districtwide rollout (K–5) with an estimated annual cost of roughly $168,697 and suggested offsets by reducing low‑use contracts. The item was presented as a conference item (no action taken at this meeting).
District staff presented the Sunday structured‑literacy program as a districtwide supplement to address foundational reading skills tied to newly required early screening and dyslexia guidance.
Sunday (Imagine Learning) is an Orton‑Gillingham–informed, multi‑sensory program that provides 20‑minute daily lessons and decodable readers aligned to the scope and sequence. Staff said the program has been used in resource and intervention classrooms since 2019; several sites that implemented Sunday schoolwide reported large gains on the California dashboard — Junipero Serra (+22.1 points) and Poinsettia (+27.6 points) — numbers staff described as "tremendous results."
Teachers who have used Sunday told the board the lessons are predictable, explicit and low‑prep for teachers while giving students structured practice in phonemic awareness, phonics, syllabication and morphology. "Students are not simply memorizing words, but they are learning how our complex language works," second‑grade teacher Karen Rose said.
Staff reported the district currently spends about $115,610 on Sunday licenses and proposed increasing to an annual budget of $168,697 to support districtwide implementation (an increase of roughly $53,000). To limit net budget impact, staff proposed reductions in lower‑use or duplicative contracts (items the district identified in a contract review) and said some existing contracts (K–2 supplemental online practice) could be reduced because other tools (district screeners and personalized practice platforms) serve overlapping functions.
Board members asked about rollout logistics, technology dependence and teacher buy‑in. Staff said lessons require only a projector/screen for whole‑group modeling and that materials and printable alternatives are available. Several principals and teachers who piloted Sunday described schoolwide implementations and high teacher demand for additional licenses; staff said they had turned away requests because existing licensing was limited.
This was presented as a conference item; no board action was taken. Staff said they will propose contract language and a funding plan at a future meeting and note that the LCAP/budget timeline requires board action before the end of June.
