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Monroe district proposes modest increases for curriculum materials and professional development
Summary
Curriculum director Mike told the board the curriculum and professional development budget would rise about $32,000 next year, driven by K–5 Bookworms consumables, Da Vinci Festival costs and targeted AP training; staff emphasized in-house PD to contain external costs.
Mike, the district presenter for curriculum and instruction, told the board the combined curriculum and professional development lines will increase roughly $32,000 next year, citing consumables for the state-mandated K–5 ELA program (Bookworms), costs associated with the Da Vinci Festival, and growing subscriptions such as Mystery Science.
He described the Bookworms program as the largest single curriculum cost at about $39,000 annually for consumables and trade books that need periodic replacement. The presentation listed savings elsewhere in the curriculum budget (reduced reprints of Spanish, environmental science and business law texts) and added $2,500 for Da Vinci Festival consumables and roughly $2,000 for Mystery Science subscription increases.
On professional development, the district plans a net increase of about $8,349 driven by Da Vinci-related stipends and AP training; Mike said most PD expansion will rely on in-house 'train the trainer' models to limit external expenditures while preserving some external PD where necessary. He emphasized the district will evaluate materials at year-end to decide whether recurring purchases such as workbooks are cost-effective.
Board members asked clarifying questions about whether Festival materials are disposable and about possible in-house printing of open-source materials. Mike said some materials are disposable and that the district is exploring in-house printing for certain open-source workbooks if it proves cost-effective.
The curriculum presentation followed the special-education discussion and concluded with thanks from the board before the meeting adjourned.
