District proposes Sonday System kits for K–8 special‑education reading support (one‑time cost ~$28,710)

The curriculum team proposed buying Sonday System reading kits for students with identified decoding and phonemic‑awareness needs in grades K–8 and requested approval for one‑time kit purchases and ongoing consumable funding.

Mrs. Amber Mentz described the program as Orton‑Gillingham‑based and evidence‑aligned for phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding and fluency, and said it requires minimal initial training compared with programs like Wilson. "We are asking for the physical pencil‑and‑paper reading kits," Mentz said, explaining that six kits would serve K–4 buildings and additional kits would be assigned at Landis Run and the middle school. She presented a one‑time kit cost of about $28,710 and itemized consumable estimates for replacement pages, student record books and notebooks.

Board members asked about comprehension instruction, consumable replacement rates and pilot results. Presenters said comprehension instruction would continue to use core resources and that the Sonday System material serves as a foundational decoding intervention; early, limited pilot use at Landis Run showed growth for a few students, and teachers responded positively albeit from a small sample.

Administration said staff will follow up on consistent comprehension strategies districtwide and will monitor annual consumable needs. The purchase was presented as a recommended action for the April 16 voting session.