Board approves EL Education contract amid questions about buy-in and cost

The Asheville City Schools board voted to renew its contract with EL Education during the May 4 meeting, despite questions from some members about whether the program has demonstrably reduced the district’s achievement gaps and whether the price reflects sufficient return on investment.

One board member asked bluntly whether EL has “closed the achievement gap or behavior” over the last two to three years, noting the district spent $324,000 last year and the proposed amount is $327,000 this year. Superintendent Maggie Fuhrman and other board members said implementation takes time, pointed to examples such as a seventh-grade service-learning project and school-level teacher development, and described steps taken to build teacher buy-in, including site visits, focus groups and coaching.

Several members urged a stronger focus on measurable outcomes and asked staff to provide clearer data connecting EL implementation to achievement, belonging and targeted indicators in the strategic plan. Others argued discontinuing professional development now would risk losing long-term momentum on instructional practices and implementation science.

The board approved the contract; votes were not unanimous. Members asked that staff report back with clearer data as part of next year’s monitoring and evaluation of the initiative.

What happens next: staff will continue EL implementation, prioritize data collection on impact and teacher uptake, and report progress to the board in the coming year.