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Monroe Public Schools staff propose $379,600 literacy professional-development contract paid with grant funds
Summary
District staff presented a plan to continue a K–8 professional learning partnership with the Reading & Writing Project network at a contract cost of $379,600, saying grant dollars will cover the purchase; trustees asked for a grant-by-grant breakdown and the pending M-STEP results before final approval.
Superintendent Shaw introduced a professional-learning proposal the district presented at last night’s workshop and asked staff to provide the board additional information before a decision. Terry Joseph Joseph, who led the presentation, said the program brings Reading & Writing Project specialists into schools to coach K–8 teachers and that the training focuses on instruction strategies rather than a specific curriculum.
Joseph Joseph said the contract price is $379,600 and stated that the district had secured grant funds to pay for it, adding, “It’s $379,600, but we were able to secure grant funds, to be able to purchase that.” Board members pressed staff for a line-item breakdown of which grants would pay which portion. Finance staff said $102,000 was already allocated in the district’s '35 j' grant and that other portions would be split among ESSER balances and early-literacy funds, but they could not provide a complete allocation that evening.
Several trustees said the board should wait for the final M-STEP assessment before committing. One trustee argued the district has not yet received the third assessment that completes the outcome picture and noted additional decodable-text purchases referenced in board materials could raise the program’s total cost toward $450,000. Joseph Joseph and other staff responded that the work is intended to improve classroom practice across curricula, and that the district will provide the requested grant-by-grant accounting before the next formal vote.
