Pasco School District begins curriculum review process
Getting curriculum recommendations before the Pasco School Board by mid-April, as required by the district’s new contract with teachers, will be a big lift, said Deputy Superintendent Michelle Whitney.
It also could be a quick lift. The two curriculum committees formed to consider materials for language arts and math will meet for the first time Oct. 14.
When asked by board members Tuesday night for a list of the committee members, Whitney said she’ll provide them as soon as she knows each member has been notified of their new duty.
“As I was walking into (Tuesday’s board meeting), that was being finalized,” Whitney, who is also head of the district’s curriculum and professional development, told the board of the committees’ membership.
Board member Amy Phillips, who has questioned the curriculum plan since the teachers contract was approved by the board in late September, said she still wonders whether the committees will have adequate time, and the district enough money, to consider and purchase new curriculum.
“I just want to do this right and make sure we’re not undermining the process,” Phillips said.
Curriculum was a key issue with teachers during contract negotiations. Along with this year’s recommendations for new language arts and math curriculum for students in all grades, similar recommendations for science and arts curriculum is due before the board in the spring of 2017.
The teachers contract governs other aspects of determining new curriculum, including the composition of curriculum committees, and how the district will determine where it’s lacking in materials for the classroom, said Whitney, who is set to replace Superintendent Saundra Hill at the end of the school year.
The district is also planning to undertake a separate look at its curriculum needs by bringing in a third party, such as a consultant, to audit what curriculum is needed, though it’s not yet known what that could cost.
Phillips said the time frame is rigorous. She questioned the budget for new curriculum, having said in past meetings that the $5.9 million being set aside won’t be enough based on figures she’s heard from other districts.
The fact each curriculum committee only has to have four teachers based on the teachers contract also worries her, especially if they are also to consider feedback from all teachers in the district, she said.
“Are they going to be able to do this and teach?” she asked Whitney.
Whitney said the district has appointed two more teachers, along with two administrators, to each committee with its own selections. The cost of curriculum will be better known after the district assesses needs.
The effort will take a lot of work, Whitney said, but committee members have been told to clear every Wednesday evening on their schedule through May for meetings.
If it’s discovered in the coming weeks the quick turnaround or other issues are detrimental, Whitney said she’ll look at approaching the district and Pasco Association of Educators about adjusting the plan. Until then, though, the district needs to move ahead.
Ty Beaver: 509-582-1402; tbeaver@tricityherald.com; Twitter: @_tybeaver
This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Pasco School District begins curriculum review process."