The Alabama State Board of Education voted to adopt the state textbook committee's recommendations for new K–12 mathematics textbooks after an extended discussion in which several board members raised objections.

The board, chaired by Gov. Kay Ivey, approved the recommendation that the State Textbook Committee forwarded following a multi‑year review and the adoption of new academic standards. State Superintendent Eric Mackey presented the committee's recommendation and said the adoption follows a “thorough vetting” and a more robust rubric developed with volunteer Alabama teachers to guide local textbook selection.

Mackey said the committee and department staff, including members of the curriculum team, worked to address complaints about the quality and suitability of previously adopted materials. "These are Alabama teachers who touch the lives of students every day," Mackey said, praising the volunteer committee and staff who revised the rubric after board feedback.

Board members debated whether to delay adoption until newly elected board members could participate and voiced continuing concerns about the course of study and how publishers aligned materials to it. State Board member Stephanie Bell said she had requested the item be removed from the agenda and said she would vote no, arguing that the course of study itself still had problems and that additional review was warranted. Another board member, listed in the roll call as Ziegler, also recorded a no vote.

Despite those objections, the motion carried. The transcript shows Bell and Ziegler voting no and the remainder of the roll call recorded as affirmative or present; the board recorded the motion as adopted.

Board members who supported the adoption said the state has not adopted new textbooks in about a decade and that updated instructional materials are a necessary part of improving mathematics outcomes. Mackey told the board the adoption was intended to give local districts better options and tools in classrooms after a decade of concerns about available textbooks.

The board did not adopt changes to statewide graduation requirements as part of this action; the motion addressed only the department's recommendation on textbook adoption and the rubric for districts to use in selecting materials. Mackey and other staff said local districts will still choose specific texts from the approved list and that the department would provide support and guidance during local adoption processes.

The board set no immediate additional conditions in the meeting record beyond adopting the committee's recommendations. The department said it would mail copies of the resolutions to principals and superintendents.

The adoption completes the State Textbook Committee's recommendation process for mathematics; questions about implementation timelines and local adoption remain subject to district review and procurement procedures.