A consent agenda is comprised of mundane and non-controversial board action items that are organized apart from the rest of the agenda and approved as a group. Previous meetings’ minutes are a good example of items to be included on a consent agenda. Consent agendas are used by boards to reduce the duration of board meetings and to allow the meeting time to be used for the discussion of more substantive agenda items.
The March 14 agenda for the Asheville City Board of Education regular monthly meeting includes an item called “Middle School ELA Adoption” under their consent items. Board members were provided an opportunity to receive and comment on a presentation of this topic (four whole minutes, including Q&A) at their March 7 working session.
New ELA Curriculum
Laura Parks (Director of Secondary Education) advised the board of the desire to purchase a new ELA curriculum for $117,546. This price covers both middle schools for a six-year subscription. The objective of this purchase is to provide consistency between the two middle schools in the district. Ms. Parks advised board members that the previous ELA curriculum in use at Asheville Middle School has not been meeting the needs of those students. She neither offered nor was asked to provide an explanation for that deficiency.
Montford North Star Academy has used a curriculum named “myPerspectives” for the last three years. The students and teachers are said to love this curriculum. Well! That appears to be good enough! Board members had no questions for Ms. Parks and did not find a need to discuss this purchase among themselves. What’s $117,546 to a financially troubled school system?
Board is Curiously Disinterested
Why does it make sense to go with a six-year subscription to the service? Would a three-year subscription cost half as much? If we buy the six-year subscription and then decide after a year or two that it no longer meets the needs of our children, can we cancel the subscription and get some money back?
Was the curriculum that is currently in use at Asheville Middle School also purchased under a subscription agreement? If so, have the terms of that agreement been satisfied? Does discarding the existing curriculum carry some cost? Is there some ongoing cost associated with keeping that curriculum?
Is there a good reason to replace the existing curriculum? Exactly how is it failing us? Is there truly a need to spend this money right now?
Instead, board members had no questions. What could the Asheville City Council have been thinking when they selected and appointed these unimpressive board members to oversee something as important as the education of our children? There was much more interest and excitement about a presentation by an organization named “Landed” which will implement a program to help ACS employees put together a 20% down payment to purchase a home. This really did sound like a good program and will hopefully assist the troubled school district in its efforts to recruit and retain talent. Shouldn’t they also care about what is being taught and how to manage the district’s finances?
What About Equity?
Some of you might ask, “What about equity? How does the myPerspectives curriculum promote equity?”. Well, there does not appear to be much to worry about if this is your concern.
Savvas Learning Company is the creator of the myPerspectives curriculum. In September of 2020, Savvas announced the launch of their Culturally Responsive Learning (CRL) Initiative that will focus on supporting teachers in making real changes in their classroom practices to foster student voice and improve achievement as well as using curriculum that opens minds and allows students to see themselves reflected in what they learn.” This initiative will be overseen by their newly formed Culturally Responsive Learning Advisory Board.
Savvas holds equity among its core values. They are excited to provide diversity and inclusion training to their employees. Not only that, but the company has created a scholarship program that will award $50,000 to each of five black or brown students each year. White and yellow students need not apply.
If that’s not equity, what is?
