A letter written by Manitowoc Public School Superintendent Jim Feil to have the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction add the Success for All Foundation to the recommended list for the upcoming academic year fell on deaf ears.
The DPI Early Literacy Curriculum Council heard about 17 reading curricula that could be recommended for districts to use in the 2024-25 school year.
SFA was not only not recommended by the council, it scored second from the bottom of the list.
According to an article from the Wisconsin Examiner, four programs were submitted to the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee for approval but were all rejected.
Manitowoc Assistant Superintendent Jamie McCall says there are multiple appeals at the state level for the programs that were picked for approval.
She says it’s a very politically driven process because this endorses a reading program(s) for districts to purchase.
One of the reasons a district would select an approved program would include a partial reimbursement.
“And that reimbursement is based on a pool of money that may or may not be available to districts dependent on what the criteria is,” McCall explained.
In the end, the district still gets to pick whichever curriculum it feels is best suited for students.
McCall says she hopes the district will stick with SFA after some positive results over the past two quarters.
