Monthly Archives: March 2026

Hey all!

I know spring break is either upon you now - or is next week - for most of you. I'm getting some common questions that I want to help everyone with:

1. Funding: Everyone gets $100 per student in the Foundation program plus an additional (roughly) $30 per student in supplemental appropriations. To see your exact amount & how to code it, see this memo.
2. Delayed Billing: Publishers' Warehouse does not charge shipping - & we DO delayed billing. This is helpful for you IF your order exceeds what you have available. You can order the full amount on your PO, tells us what will be paid with FY 26 funds & what will be held to FY 27 billing - & we will set it up that way.
3. Delayed Billing, Part 2: Next year, we expect your textbook allocation to be back to $100 per student - but all that's up will be "digital literacy" & perhaps a math gap package, though some of you purchased that back 2 or 3 years ago. And the year after that is World Language. So - it would

Curriculum Directors & Textbook Coordinators,

I hope all are well today, from tornados, high winds, rains, floods, snow flurries, locusts - ha!, & spring breaks!

I know that some of your Boards were wanting to see those social studies scores. Here they are!

Also - I am REALLY needing to know what you plan to PURCHASE. If you've already completed my survey & you were at 90% confidence & haven't changed - we're good. But many of you who were kind enough to complete that survey weren't real sure a month or so ago which way you were leaning, in some or all grade spans.

But if you've NOT completed the survey & have now narrowed down your K-12 choices, please either complete this survey - or just email me, if that's easier.

Back to the scores: Providing Tiers on the scores was something the State Board wanted the ALSDE to do a few years ago. The highest scores are Tier I (90% to 100% - BLUE this year), & Tier II is 75% to 89% (GOLD this year).

Tier III scores

Curriculum Directors & Textbook Coordinators

For those of you ready to hop to it,  here are some next steps:

1. Get your books adopted by your local board. That means....your committee recs are approved by your local board. Send that info AFTER your board meeting to Dr Jones at the ALSDE.
2. Remember - adoption does not mean purchase. It means that you have the authority to use state textbook funds to purchase locally adopted resources. For example, you may adopt an entire K-5 series - but may choose to only purchase only 3rd -5th this year.
3. The ALSDE scores will be posted on their website in the next few days. I've attached the list of what was reviewed. Arts Ed is 100% - all on this list could be adopted/purchased by you. For social studies, the comprehensive selections may all be adopted & purchased - excluding the rejected grade levels from Exploros (the previous email listed the Exploros that COULD be adopted/purchased).
4. Once that's all done,

Curriculum Directors & Textbook Coordinators

By a vote of 5-4, with Gov. Ivey casting the deciding vote, the State Textbook committee's recommendation for social studies adoption was passed by the State Board.

Arts Education textbook committee results were passed unanimously by the State Board - and all books reviewed were state adopted.

Specific scores on the results are embargoed by the State at present. They will be posted on the ALSDE website in a few days. Exploros was adopted in grade 6 & grade 9 - but was rejected in its other grade levels which were reviewed. ALL OTHER K-12 comprehensive textbooks in social studies were recommended for adoption by the committee, which the State Board approved.

You are now free to move forward with your committee’s recommendations to your local boards.

Thank you for your hard work in preparing for this spring. Let me know how I can help you as this next stage.

-Patrick