Board adopts Strang calculus text for Calc 3 despite committee's OpenStax recommendation

A district textbook committee recommended OpenStax for the Calculus 3 multivariable course, citing student preference, mobile accessibility and no-cost availability for families. The board nevertheless voted on May 11 to adopt a traditional print text.

Supervisor Yant, who led the adoption review, said the committee of teachers, parents and students reviewed two main texts and that students favored the OpenStax option for its accessibility and mobile use. "They were very clear," Yant said, describing committee deliberations and noting concurrent-credit partners would provide class sets of hard copies at no cost to the district.

During the meeting Trustee Bridal moved to adopt "Calculus Volume 3" by Gilbert Strang and Edwin Herman for the district's multivariable and vector calculus course. The motion was seconded; the board voted and the motion passed.

The record shows the committee favored OpenStax but the trustees approved the Strang/Herman volume. The motion carried without recorded oppositions in the public meeting minutes. Plans for rollout and how the adopted text will be integrated with concurrent-credit partners were discussed but not fully detailed at the meeting.