School board adopts 2025–26–2032–33 instructional materials; opts to use OpenSciED OER for grades 6–8 without purchasing the publisher platform

The Rutherford County School Board voted to adopt instructional materials for use beginning in the 2025–26 school year through the 2032–33 adoption period, including a mix of traditional publisher texts and an open educational resource (OER) for middle-school science.

The district’s textbook-adoption committee recommended several titles across grade levels and subjects, among them K–5 Studies Weekly (science), high-school biology and chemistry texts from Kendall Hunt and McGraw Hill, and an OER option for grades 6–8: OpenSciED. Dr. Chastain (district academic staff) explained the committee’s recommendation and the state-level context for the OER option.

OpenSciED was listed on the state adoption list within a package that included a publisher platform (Kiddom). Dr. Chastain told the board the district’s local committee prefers to use the OpenSciED materials themselves without purchasing Kiddom’s digital platform; the district plans to provide printed materials, teacher guides and laboratory resources locally and only use the publisher-free OER content. Because the state adoption list ties materials to a publisher entry, staff said they will pursue the necessary waivers and be in communication with the State Board and Tennessee Department of Education to ensure local compliance.

Costs and budget implications: staff provided district-level estimates for the full adoption cycle and said the choice to use the OER for grades 6–8 reduces one-time middle-school costs substantially: - Middle school (with OER/local printing): roughly $800,000 (estimate depending on print options). - Elementary school: roughly $3,200,000. - High school: roughly $2,600,000. - Total initial estimate shown to the board: about $9,000,128 before the middle-school savings; with the OER approach the near-term budget request was roughly $7,000,000. Staff noted the previous middle-school purchase estimate had been $3,300,000 if district had purchased all middle-school materials up front.

State process and compliance: Dr. Chastain described an “odd” situation in which a publisher packaged an OER in a proprietary platform. She explained that state rules treat a publisher-listed material as the adopted item and that the district will seek waiver routes and use the state textbook-commission process to confirm compliance. She said the local adoption team concluded the OpenSciED content is 98–100% identical to the approved material and that the district will document the decision and seek any needed waivers.

Board discussion focused on alignment to Tennessee standards, cost savings from local printing and logistical questions about how and when funds are requested for the county commission. A motion to approve the recommended instruction materials passed.

Quotations from the meeting: - “This is an evolving situation,” Dr. Chastain said, explaining the state and publisher dynamics around the OER and the Kiddom platform. - “We would, therefore, control the printing,” Dr. Chastain said, describing the district’s plan to supply and replace only what is used rather than purchasing fixed quantities upfront.

Next steps: the board approved the adoption package. Staff will pursue necessary waivers and finalize budget requests for the county commission (district staff indicated some textbook funding and design fees have already been advanced in prior budget actions).