Boyne City board approves Bookworms for K–3 literacy

The Boyne City Public Schools Board voted to adopt Bookworms as the district’s K–3 literacy curriculum, approving the administrative recommendation and the associated up‑front materials cost of roughly $82,800.

Katie Reinhardt, a first‑grade teacher who presented the program, described Bookworms as an open educational resource published by Open Up Resources and created by reading researcher Sharon Woffel at the University of Delaware. "Bookworms is books in kids' hands," Reinhardt said, noting that the curriculum emphasizes trade books and three 45‑minute ELA blocks — shared reading, an ELA/writing block and differentiated small‑group instruction.

Administrators told the board they plan a two‑day, in‑person launch training next June and ongoing coaching through the first year. The presentation said Bookworms uses many trade books for read‑alouds rather than a standard anthology and that some local districts have already begun using the program. Staff training costs for Bookworms were presented as approximately $24,000; the presenters said the total up‑front implementation investment for the district’s combined literacy plan would be around $152,000, with recurring annual costs near $14,000.

Board members asked whether the curriculum relies on digital platforms. Reinhardt answered that Bookworms is largely low‑tech and that the program is intentionally focused on printed books: "Almost everything... Bookworms is books in kids' hands," she said. The board voted in favor of the motion and the approval passed.

The district will align pilot assessments and common data points to check early progress before full implementation in the fall. The administration said it will begin ordering materials and planning professional learning to support teachers ahead of fall rollout.