Board to hold ELA textbook adoption pending final quote; staff proposes full-time implementation coach

The Bethel Park School District board discussed several curriculum and personnel items and agreed to move most to next week's consent agenda while holding the K'4 English Language Arts adoption until staff receives an updated quote.

Mr. Scalzo, presenting the curriculum committee's work, listed eight items under consideration and said the English Language Arts adoption (item 8) had drawn the most discussion. A staff member told the board that shipping costs in the vendor quote are under renegotiation and that the motion currently circulated does not include a final dollar figure. "They have not, we have not gotten a revised quote with the new kindergarten numbers," the staff member said, and recommended that item 8 be held out of the consent agenda until the updated quote is available.

To support the adoption, staff asked the board to approve a full-time implementation coach position. The staff member described the role as "entirely about supporting coaching, encouraging the best from our teachers" and said the position would be taken out of the classroom for a year to work one-on-one and in small groups with teachers for effective implementation. Staff also said they will bring a memorandum of understanding to the board next month to codify the relationship with the teachers' federation and address concerns about returning the coach to a classroom role.

Separately, the personnel committee moved three items to the consent agenda: acceptance of a resignation, appointment of personnel, and approval of a job description. The chair and committee members indicated those items would appear on next week's consent agenda along with other non-held items.

The board chose to leave the ELA adoption off the consent agenda until the vendor provides the updated pricing; the motion to move items 1'7 (excluding the held item) to the consent agenda was advanced during discussion and agreed to by the board.