New social studies books recommended for the two elementary schools

What happened

Staff recommended the board adopt a new K-5 social science curriculum, Social Studies Alive second edition from the Teachers Curriculum Institute, for Waggoner Elementary and Shirley Rominger Intermediate. The estimated cost is about $129,000 for an eight-year adoption, covering printed and digital materials and training for teachers. Staff said the social science materials these would replace are the oldest curriculum in the district. Teachers piloted two options over about two years, and site councils and English learner advisory committees at both schools were asked for input. The item was set to return for a board vote on May 21, 2026.

Why it matters to families

This is the material children in transitional kindergarten through grade 5 will use to learn history and civics for the next eight years, and it replaces the district's most out-of-date curriculum. Staff picked it partly for its reading supports and its multiple entry points for students still learning English, which matters in a district where about 30% of elementary students are English learners.

The evidence

The machine transcript of the district's official May 7, 2026 recording carries the recommendation by name, the two schools, the roughly $129,000 estimate for an eight-year adoption including print, digital and professional development, the statement that the existing social science curriculum is the oldest in the district, the two-year piloting process with the California History and Social Science Project, and the plan to return for action on May 21, 2026. No approved minutes are published for either meeting and the May 21 recording does not itemise its consent agenda, so the adoption itself is not confirmed in the collected record; this alert describes a recommendation, not a completed decision.

The source