Edwardsville School Board Approves New Curriculum Advisory Committee

EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education has approved a new Curriculum Advisory Committee.

During their regular meeting on Monday, June 22, 2026, the Board discussed the creation of the committee. This committee’s goal is to “inform, educate, and ensure that all curriculum decisions brought before the Board are reviewed, assessed, and accompanied by a well-reasoned recommendation prior to Board action.”

The Board discussed the creation of this committee during their regular meeting in May and again during their Board retreat earlier in June. They clarified details like the committee’s membership and its longevity.

As approved, the charter for the committee will run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, but the Board can convert the committee into a standing committee written into policy at any time.

On June 22, Board President Bob Paty made the motion to approve the committee’s charter, and it was seconded by Matt Breihan.

Member Jill Bertels asked to clarify the “duties for future consideration” section of the proposal. She said she believed this section would be a conversation between administrators and committee members, not a document approved by the Board.

“It was my understanding that this section was going to be talked about between the administration and the new committee. I didn’t realize it was going to be part of this document,” she explained. “It was going to be up to the administration and the committee to decide if those things should be a task or duty for this committee.”

Paty said there were three duties that the Board “immediately” agreed should go on the list, while the others needed to be “discussed collaboratively between the district and the committee to develop and figure out if it was something that was relevant.” If the committee and district agreed that these duties needed to be included, the Board would then approve their addition.

Member Lynne Sanderson said she also “thought it would be kind of separate” and asked if the “duties for future consideration” could be written as a second document.

“It just doesn’t seem relevant to put things to consider when we haven’t discussed these as a committee,” she said. “I didn’t see this as part of this document…What if some of these get thrown out?”

Paty noted that the charter as written gives the committee members the opportunity to discuss these topics in depth.

“That’s why it says in there that it’s for them to decide if it’s to be included as an actual duty and responsibility. It’s not to be taken as anything other than a suggestion for them to discuss,” he said. “They’re teed up for discussion for them to have. But if they decide as a committee that they’re not relevant or they’re not needed, then they won’t recommend that we go with them.”

Breihan suggested that if the committee decides another duty is relevant that hasn’t been included in the document, they could bring it to the Board. He clarified that the committee can “add, delete, modify” any duties in this section of the charter.

“This is the thing about the committee. They can recommend to the Board, and then we review it,” Paty said.

Bertels ultimately voted against the charter's approval. The rest of the Board voted to approve it. Member Scott Ahart was absent.

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