Broward school board holds public hearing on K–12 science instructional and digital materials for 2025–26

At a public hearing of the School Board of Broward County, Florida, district staff presented the recommended K–12 science instructional and digital materials for the 2025–26 school year and answered questions from one registered public speaker and board members.

The hearing, required by Florida Statute 1006.4 to permit public comment on recommended instructional materials, covered a state-approved list of titles for K–12 science that district staff said includes print and digital components with interactive features. District staff said selected materials are generally used for five years and that the state-approved list cited in the presentation was approved July 2, 2024 and updated Dec. 12, 2024.

Dr. Trudy Germanovich, a public commenter, told the board that teachers are "anxiously awaiting these new textbooks" and urged equitable distribution of both electronic and paper texts. She asked whether human reproduction is included in the middle school program and whether textbooks address climate change, saying those topics "may become contentious" in Florida. "It is very important that these topics are still contained in our science textbooks," she said.

During board discussion, School Board member Dr. Zeman asked whether purchases come from the district's capital or operating budget. A staff member identified as Miss Johnson replied that "it's not the ... journal fund budget." Dr. Wilson and Guy Barmoja, director of secondary learning, clarified how Cambridge and Advanced Placement (AP) materials are handled: Barmoja said high schools typically buy their own Cambridge and AP books using school-level funds tied to AP/Cambridge course offerings and associated FTE allocations, while his office has purchased books for middle-school Cambridge courses when needed. He said some schools supplement the district-adopted marine biology book with Cambridge-provided materials and that schools sometimes purchase additional titles.

Board members flagged the need to ensure Cambridge-certified middle schools have appropriate materials. Dr. Zeman said the district should avoid a situation where a school is labeled Cambridge-certified but does not provide Cambridge books; Dr. Hepburn (chair) and other board members said they would monitor budgeting and purchasing to avoid repeat problems from the prior year.

District staff said the full list of recommended titles, with hyperlinks to each textbook and supplemental materials, is available on the Innovative Learning website and on the district calendar for the duration of the adoption process. Staff said they will remain available to answer additional questions; no final adoption vote was recorded during the public hearing.

The public hearing concluded after one registered speaker and the board's brief questions and discussion; the chair adjourned the session.