Eastern York board hears teachers’ praise, budget questions as it moves Amplify reading adoption to Thursday vote

Eastern York School District officials presented detailed pilot results and local references Tuesday as they moved a proposed adoption of the Amplify K–8 reading curriculum to a vote on Thursday.

District administrator Dr. Manuso told the board the recommendation follows state guidance in Act 47 of 2025 encouraging research-based, structured-literacy programs and the work of a 15-member literacy committee that narrowed vendors to Amplify and Great Minds’ Arts & Letters. He said middle-school teachers rated Amplify’s six-to-eight program “near-perfect” in third-party reviews and that the district’s pilot and visits to neighboring districts reinforced its strengths.

The pilot teachers who spoke at the meeting described strong student engagement. Casey, a first-grade teacher and K–2 subject-area coordinator, said students “were retaining information from one week to the next” and that less-confident readers participated more in classroom talk than in past years. Jenna, a middle-school ELA teacher, described such high engagement that she “had to force seventh graders to go to lunch” because students did not want to stop the lessons.

Title I teacher and 3–5 coordinator Meg Rishel told the board the program challenged high achievers as well as supporting struggling students, saying some districts that use the program reported gains among their highest-performing pupils. Presenters also emphasized strong professional development and digital-accessibility features that let teachers differentiate instruction.

Board members focused discussion on implementation and cost. Dr. Manuso said the vendor offered a six-year package totaling $242,000 and that year-one billing would be about $82,000 — roughly $32,000 more than the district’s $50,000 pilot budget. He outlined savings if the district discontinues overlapping digital products (vocabulary platforms and a kindergarten reading site) and said the middle-school portion would be provided free in the first year under the negotiated deal.

The board pressed on scheduling and classroom time: several presenters warned that Amplify’s recommended primary lessons often assume 90-minute blocks while Eastern York’s elementary model uses shorter periods; the district may need to “skin” units to fit local schedules and plan multi-year adjustments. Administrators also flagged supports for struggling readers and a phased approach to implementation.

Without taking a formal vote on adoption Tuesday, a board member asked if there were objections to moving the curriculum item to Thursday’s meeting. “Hearing none, now we’ll move it to Thursday,” the chair said, setting up a formal decision at the next meeting.

Next steps spelled out by administrators include finalizing contract language and identifying budget offsets; if approved, the district would phase implementation and retain some tiered interventions while teachers adapt to the program’s pacing.