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Sen. Gladwell says curriculum amendments give schools more control over instructional materials
Summary
A bill to allow schools greater discretion in choosing instructional materials cleared the Senate after debate. Supporters said it codifies local practice; critics raised cost and textbook‑procurement concerns.
Senator Gladwell urged the Senate to concur with the House amendments to first substitute Senate Bill 99, describing the change as a modest but important expansion of local control over instructional materials. Under the amendments, with limited exceptions for health and intimacy instruction, individual schools would be able to select instructional materials they find appropriate to meet core curriculum objectives rather than being limited to a single state‑recommended list.
"This simply gives schools options," Senator Gladwell said, framing the change as codifying practices some teachers already use and as an expansion of site‑based decision‑making. Supporters argued local principals and school community councils are often best placed to judge instructional materials and that the amendment preserves the statewide approval process as a recommendation rather than an exclusive list.
Opponents warned the change could weaken purchasing advantages achieved by bulk district purchases. Senator Eastman and others cited one large district's recent bulk‑purchase figures to show potential savings: Davis School District reportedly purchased $912,000 in textbooks and received an additional $568,000 in teaching materials when buying in bulk, an outcome opponents said would be harder to replicate if materials were chosen at the individual school level.
Senator Gladwell and supporters replied that the amendment does not eliminate district purchasing or the recommended list and stressed that principals and districts retain authority to set purchasing policy. The Senate clerk later recorded the bill as passed and referred to the House per the floor announcement.
The bill’s supporters said the measure aims to accelerate classroom access to promising new instructional materials while preserving statutory protections for sensitive content. Critics urged careful monitoring of procurement costs if sites increasingly purchase materials outside coordinated district contracts.
The Senate transcript records proponents and opponents making those economic and governance points on the floor; the matter will move to the House for any additional action referenced in the clerk’s announcement.
