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House enacts third‑party textbook review; amendment removes charter exemption
Summary
Lawmakers approved a bill requiring independent textbook evaluations and public posting of results; an amendment removing a prior exemption for charter schools passed on the floor after debate about cost and equity. Final House vote 70–3.
Representative Gage Frower sponsored House Bill 364 to institute a third‑party evaluation process for public‑school textbooks, to make review results publicly available online, and to map textbook content against the state core curriculum. The sponsor said the measure would introduce a scientific, transparent review process and limit costly local mistakes.
Floor debate centered on whether charter schools should be exempt. Representative Allen moved to delete the exemption that had excluded charter schools from mandatory third‑party review. Supporters of the deletion argued charter schools use the same core curriculum and should be subject to the same transparency; opponents, including Representative Frank, warned smaller charter programs could bear disproportionate cost if publishers did not absorb review fees.
Sponsor provided an estimated review cost: "somewhere between $500 to $600 per textbook that will be paid by the publisher," and supporters said that cost should not fall directly on schools or families. After floor discussion and a division, the amendment to remove the charter exemption passed 41–31. The bill as amended then passed on final reading 70–3 and will be sent to the Senate.
Ending: HB 364 moves to the Senate as a measure requiring independent evaluation and public disclosure of textbook alignment to state standards; the House adopted a floor amendment to include charter schools in the requirement.
