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Board approves curriculum purchases; members debate correspondence stipend funding and state policy
Summary
The board approved curricular subscriptions and additions to the approved curriculum list and discussed the district correspondence (homeschool) stipend rules and concerns about other districts’ use of correspondence funding to support private/parochial schools; a board member referenced a pending court challenge.
The Cordova City School District board approved purchases and curriculum-adoption items and discussed how the district’s correspondence (homeschool) program and stipend rules interact with statewide funding.
Trustees approved an Amplify curricular subscription and other items to the district’s approved curriculum list; the transcript shows a purchase amount recorded as "$32,3" (truncated in the record). Administrators said the curricular subscriptions can be used in district brick-and-mortar classrooms and that approved materials are necessary for parents using the district correspondence program to claim stipend reimbursements.
Administrators reviewed how correspondence funding is calculated using full-time-equivalent (FTE) rules and the Base Student Allocation (BSA), noting correspondence students are typically funded at 0.9 of the BSA. A board member raised concerns about other districts offering higher stipend amounts and recruiting students (including private and parochial schools signing correspondence agreements with public districts). That speaker said there is a pending legal challenge alleging public funding for private/parochial schools violates the state constitution; the board member called the practice "concerning" and urged attention to what the funding is used for.
Board members also discussed the district’s process for approving curriculum resources that home-schooling parents can use and the stipend-reimbursement mechanics (full-time, three-quarter, half-time and quarter-time allocations were explained). Trustees approved adding the recommended curricular resources to the CCS approved list and affirmed the district will reimburse parents for approved purchases under the correspondence program rules.
Members asked administrators to monitor the statewide correspondence arrangements and noted the board will follow the outcome of any court cases that might affect public funding rules.
