District pauses instructional rollout, considers 36-day external professional development contract

District administrators told the board that the rollout of a new Proviso instructional framework has run into teacher concerns and that outside professional development may be needed to support implementation.

A district presenter said about "83.7% of the teachers are responding" to the rollout survey and added that when asked whether the rollout had been "too fast," "49% of the teachers said yes." The presenter proposed pausing the rollout in places and contracting outside providers to deliver customized professional development, describing a model of 12 cohorts with three sessions each (36 days total) and referencing a roughly $10,000 toolkit cost for digital content.

Board members pressed several issues: whether existing administrators could deliver the training; whether to use a train‑the‑trainer model or hire external experts; whether issuing a public RFP would meaningfully change costs or delay the rollout; and whether special education teachers would be included in cohorts. One board member suggested negotiating price with a vendor; another said an RFP could delay the rollout but might be prudent.

Administrators said they will draft an RFP and aim to present options to the board by March, while trying to avoid disrupting classroom instruction. The board did not approve a contract at this meeting and asked staff to return with vendor options, cost comparisons and a timeline before any procurement.

Direct quotes in this article are from speakers on the record during the instructional-services discussion.