New reading programme for kindergarten through grade 5

What happened

From September 2026 the district's English language arts curriculum in kindergarten through grade five is Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts. The superintendent described it as combining explicit phonics-based foundational skills with knowledge-building content in history, science and literature, and said the aim is to close achievement gaps by building background knowledge in the primary grades.

Why it matters to families

This changes the daily reading lesson for every child in the district's elementary schools, and it lands in the same year four elementary teaching posts were cut.

The evidence

The August 31, 2026 video message states: 'a third initiative I want to highlight is our continued emphasis on reading which will be supported by new ELA curriculum in grades K through 5. The name of the program is Amplify Core Knowledge and Language Arts and it combines explicit phonics-based foundational skills with a content-rich knowledge-building approach in history, science, and literature. Through this program, we are aiming to close achievement gaps by developing background knowledge in our primary grades.'

The source