Textbook commission approves Schedule F publishers and panelists, elects Linda Cash chair
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Summary
The commission approved Schedule F advisory-panelists and publishers, elected Linda Cash chair and Mike Bell vice chair, and accepted minutes corrections; staff also reviewed supplemental-materials rubrics and training plans for advisory reviewers.
The Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission on March 4, 2026 approved a slate of Schedule F publishers and advisory panelists, elected leadership, and reviewed proposed guidance for supplemental instructional materials.
During the workshop portion of the meeting staff drew attention to the recommended Schedule F publisher bid list included in commissioners' binders and summarized the advisory-panelist selections (19 approved overall: 13 for social studies and 6 for career and technical education). Commissioners discussed notification timing; staff said panelists would be notified after the vote. The commission then moved into the formal meeting and took several procedural votes.
A motion to adopt the meeting agenda and to approve consent items (including acknowledgement of the Schedule F official bid list and textbook substitutions where none were requested) passed by voice vote. The commission then addressed leadership: Linda Cash was nominated and, "by acclamation, elected Linda Cash as chair," and Mike Bell was nominated and moved by acclamation to serve as vice chair.
A correction to the Jan. 7, 2026 minutes (recording Mike Bell as present) was proposed and approved after a roll-call vote; the clerk announced the motion passed. The commission voted by roll call to approve the Schedule F advisory-panelist members after the workshop review; the clerk read roll-call responses and the motion passed. The meeting recorded no library-material appeals and no public commenters during the public-comment period.
Staff presented two rubrics as guidance for districts on supplemental materials: a general education supplemental-materials rubric and a CTE-specific rubric. Both rubrics score items on a 1–4 scale (1=inadequate to 4=exemplary) across criteria such as alignment to Tennessee standards, instructional-quality indicators, student engagement, assessment and feedback, accessibility and return on investment. Department staff emphasized that the rubrics are intended as district-level guidance and not a binding commission requirement.
The commission set 2026 in-person meeting dates and locations (a special in-person meeting on July 29, 2026 and a regular in-person meeting Oct. 1, 2026) and noted that in-person meetings will take place at Middle Tennessee State University for 2026.
