Casey-Westfield Board Approves $42,973 Curriculum Purchase for Monroe Elementary

Casey-Westfield CUSD C-4 Board of Education Meeting | June 22, 2026

Article Summary: The Casey-Westfield Community Unit School District C-4 Board of Education on Monday, June 22, 2026, unanimously approved $42,973.36 in new science and English language arts curriculum for Monroe Elementary School, replacing a science program administrators described as outdated.

Monroe Elementary Curriculum Purchase Key Points:

• The board approved Savvas Learning Experience Science for grades 3-5, including a three-year license and professional development, at a cost of $22,506.78.
• The board also approved HMH Into Reading K-6 Version 3 with HMH Readers at a cost of $20,466.58.
• The combined purchase totals $42,973.36 and passed 7-0 on a roll-call vote.
• Science materials were purchased only for grades 3-5 because K-2 science instruction is embedded in the reading curriculum and the sixth-grade program is aligned to the junior high sequence.

CASEY — The Casey-Westfield Community Unit School District C-4 Board of Education on Monday, June 22, 2026, voted unanimously to spend $42,973.36 on new science and English language arts curriculum for Monroe Elementary School, approving a package that pairs a new science program for grades 3-5 with an updated version of the district’s existing reading curriculum.

The purchase was presented to the board by Rhoads, one of five district administrators recorded as present at the 7 p.m. meeting. Rhoads told the board that the Savvas Science curriculum aligns well with the content of the Illinois Science Assessment and that districts already using the program have posted good results, according to the meeting minutes. She said the district’s current science curriculum is old and needs to be updated.

Rhoads laid out the reasoning behind buying science materials for only three grade levels. Science instruction in kindergarten through second grade is already included within those grades’ reading curriculum, she said, and the sixth-grade curriculum is aligned to help students transition to the material junior high science teachers use.

The English language arts portion of the purchase is not a change of publisher but a version upgrade, moving the district from HMH Into Reading Version 2 to Version 3.

Terms of the Purchase

Board member Jason Sharp moved to approve the purchase, seconded by board member Lisa Huddlestun. The motion covered the Savvas Learning Experience Science curriculum for third through fifth grade, including a three-year license and professional development, at a cost of $22,506.78, and HMH Into Reading K-6 Version 3 with HMH Readers at a cost of $20,466.58, for a total cost of $42,973.36.

On the roll call, members voting yes were Mike Fouty, Becky Clement, Erin Fain, Tracy Gelb, Shane Todd, Sharp and Huddlestun. President Gelb declared the motion carried. All seven board members were present, with Fain participating by phone.

The minutes do not record any questions or objections from board members before the vote, and no member spoke against the purchase.

Part of a Broader Investment Cycle

The curriculum vote came on a night when the board also committed significant resources elsewhere. Earlier in the meeting, members accepted a property, casualty and liability insurance package for fiscal year 2026-2027 at a cost of $187,661, and approved a consent agenda that included renewal of the district’s firewall license with Quality Network Solutions for 2026-2027 at $10,115.

The board’s instructional spending arrives as the district works through a summer of facility upgrades at both Monroe Elementary and the junior/senior high school campus, including floor refinishing, painting, rooftop unit replacement and a full turnover of the district’s route bus fleet.

The three-year license attached to the Savvas science materials means the district’s next decision point on the elementary science program will fall in the 2029 range, unless the board acts sooner. The minutes do not specify a start date for use of either curriculum, though both were purchased in advance of the 2026-2027 school year.

Also on Monday, the board adopted the fiscal year 2026 amended budget following a public hearing at which no members of the audience raised questions, adopted Resolution #2026-4 declaring outdated district property as surplus, and accepted a donation of a new vision screener from the Casey Lions Club valued at approximately $8,500.