August 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM - Bedford County Board of Education Special Called Meeting

Discussion:  Dr. Garrett - When the state came out with the universal screener, they said they were going to pay for the screener. When it was rolled out, they did not tell us that they were not going to pay for 4th grade-9th. We think it's best to go with the same company as K-3rd, teachers want to be consistent. We bid it out and it was Pearson and Renaissance. The one that Chad is requesting is the lowest bid, which is Pearson. It is the one that matches K-3rd. $6 per student at $27,000 and the other was $84,000. We would like you to recommend this bid to the finance director. 

Discussion:
Forsee - The learning loss we are trying to recover, is this $27,000 for one year?
Garrett- That is correct.
Forsee - How many years do you think we will have the program in place?
Garrett - Right now it is the law that we have to do the K-3 and upload it to the state. Previously, we did universal screening to put students in tiers and what level they need to be on. This year, the Early Literacy Act, the state is going to have access to the data. So I don't see this going anywhere.
Forsee- It's an ongoing need.
Fletcher - And Dr. Garrett, I would like to point out that it is also state board policy 3.302 mandates.
Forsee- But this $27,000 is for this year, is this something we have to purchase the materials year after year?
Dr. Garrett - You have to purchase it every year, kids will be screened 3 times a year, they have guidance and Tammy Pirtle can speak on the guidance that the state has provided with the Early Literacy Act. It's really big with the commissioner. 
Pirtle - All students will be screened 3 times a year. We've been doing this. This has been in place for many years. Probably the last 15 years. The screener has already been in the budget for many years. It's been reduced because the state is paying for K-3.
Crews- Is this something we can amend and take money from the ESSER budget?
Fletcher- Sure, and we put some money in ESSER that fell in the learning loss category that this would fit under. It's not something I see the state changing. 
Garrett - Tammy, how much have we budgeted for the last contract?
Pirtle - It was for K-3 it was $14 or $18 a student, so we are saving a tremendous amount of money.
Erin Phillips - Previously, we used Dibbles in K-2nd and 3rd-8th they used the renaissance program, so we are saving a tremendous amount of money.
Neeley - So to get us out of the other contract, we already had money budgeted for it, so we are just replacing what we are using it for.
Garrett- We are actually saving money.
Forsee- But the cost for the next academic year could be more?
Pirtle - No sir, it would be the same amount because the state is going to pay for K-3 until 2024.