Discussion of textbook procurement for Peoria Unified receives different views of science
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At a glance: Textbooks
Textbook advisory committee: Comprised of teachers, administrators, specialists and coaches.
Transparency: All meetings were open to the public. The full list of textbooks is available on the district’s website.
Request for proposal: Evaluation criteria included cost, textbook content, responsiveness to RFP, method of approach and professional development.
Public input: The district recently closed a 60-day public display of the proposed textbooks that started Jan. 9, in the lobby of the District Administration Center and other district locations, and ran through April 12.
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The science and math textbooks used in classrooms within the Peoria Unified School District are out of date, so officials are saying it’s time for a change in learning materials.
But when it comes to science and change, Peoria Unified governing board member Rebecca Hill has a different perspective.
In a public discussion about procuring new textbooks for its student population on May 22, Hill said, “Science doesn’t change.”
The discussion focused on New Jersey-based curriculum vendor Savvas, which Hill had concerns about because one of its biology textbook’s inclusion of sex as a non-binary state with many variations.
It was later learned the textbook in question was not included in the procurement proposal, but Hill verbally cited text from the author of the book, “One of the coolest things about biology is that it is a science that keeps changing.”
Hill took issue with that statement.
“And, that — science generally doesn’t change all that much. It’s pretty basic. The basic foundation for science is not a fluid state,” she said.
The state of Arizona, however, updates its educational standards every so often to adjust with changes in source material, particularly science. The standards for science were updated in 2018 and state standards for math were updated in 2016.
Thus, administration has recommended new science and math curriculum textbooks due to the age of the current materials.
Specifically, current K-12 materials at the district are not aligned to 2018 Arizona science standards, and current K-8 materials do not meet the rigor and complexity of the 2018 Arizona math standards, officials said.
To address this, an advisory committee was formed and has met since January to evaluate each curriculum and textbook vendor to determine how well its resources meet the needs of both the general student population and special student populations.
The following vendors were recommended by the committee: Savvas Learning for K-8 math, K-8 science, high school math and high school science. This also includes Bedford Freeman & Worth for statistics only and Cengage Learning for financial algebra and college algebra only.
Estimated cost for the resources is about $11.3 million that, if approved, will be covered using the ESSER III federal pandemic grant, which sunsets next year. There will be ancillary costs to the district but they have not been determined yet.
A vote is expected at a future board meeting.
Melissa Girmscheid, a National Board Certified science teacher and former Peoria Unified teacher, helped to review and write the elements that accompany the state science standards for the Arizona Department of Education.
Despite Hill’s concerns about Savvas, Girmscheid said she is very happy with the vendor’s products.
“Those text books are reviewed by biologists, practicing education researchers, practicing biology education researchers, by Ph.D.s who have been doing the research in biology to give accurate, scientific research so that our students, when they’re looking for answers, aren’t just going to the internet and typing in questions...,” she said. “Having a textbook that is based in concrete scientific knowledge will help them for years to come, and it is long overdue."
Girmscheid added the textbook committee is comprised of “rock star” math and science educators.
As a former teacher at Centennial, Girmscheid said the textbooks she used in her classes were so old they were used to teach the parents of the students she was teaching at the time.
“The wealth of knowledge in those committees should not be overlooked,” she said. “(The textbooks) are very well served by having good resources that use accurate and modern scientific research to teach the kids what other scientists have already done.”
Past textbook procurement has not been a controversial issue at governing board meetings. However, Hill and governing board member Heather Rooks have given it a platform because of their lack of trust in the district and curriculum taught at schools.
Rooks has posted to social media that Savvas Learning Co. promotes blogs on Pride month, which seeks to recognize members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community during June, saying such information isn’t appropriate for schools. Hill was disappointed that creationism, which is not included in the Arizona science standards, was not part of the proposed package.
Governing board member Bill Sorensen had his own viewpoint on trust and science.
He said he appreciated the transparency of the procurement process and the hard work put in by the dozens of people involved.
Sorensen added he has no problem with skepticism, but it sounds like staff has done the work.
“We are in the heart of a culture war that is tearing our community apart, and it makes me sad that despite the process, it ultimately comes down to trust. Ultimately, I am going to trust all these people that put input into this resource, that we are going to put significant monetary resources into something that is, like, a six or seven month process,” he said. “When you look at material from the ’90s and early 2000s, and when you look at the rate of change in our world right now, especially in science, and you look at AI ... The incredible rate of change that happens in the scientific community in one year is drastic. Think of where our world was in the 90s.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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