§8.3. Task Force on Textbooks and Instructional Materials

A. There is hereby created the Task Force on Textbooks and Instructional Materials, hereafter referred to as the "task force", for the purpose of undertaking a thorough review and analysis of the processes utilized in the selection and approval of textbooks and other instructional materials for use in the state's elementary and secondary schools and to make recommendations for any revisions necessary to the laws and policies which govern these processes to ensure that the students enrolled in Louisiana's elementary and secondary schools have texts and instructional materials that are both grade appropriate and aligned with state content standards.

B. The task force shall be composed of nineteen members as follows:

(1) The state superintendent of education, or his designee, who shall serve as chairman.

(2) A member of the staff of the state Department of Education with a working knowledge of the processes utilized in the review, selection, and approval of textbooks and other instructional materials.

(3) One member appointed by the Louisiana School Boards Association.

(4) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents.

(5) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of School Executives.

(6) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Principals.

(7) One member appointed by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

(8) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Educators.

(9) One member appointed by the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana.

(10) Three classroom teachers, appointed by the state superintendent of education.

(11) Three parents of students enrolled in an elementary or secondary school, appointed by the state superintendent of education.

(12) A member of the Louisiana Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate.

(13) A member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

(14) A representative of the Association of American Publishers.

(15) A representative of the entity under contract with the state Department of Education to act as the state's depository for textbooks, as provided in R.S. 17:351.1(E).

C. Members shall serve without compensation, but may receive any per diem or reimbursement for travel and expenses as allowed and provided by the appointing authority.

D. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner of original appointment.

E. The state superintendent shall convene the first meeting of the task force not later than September 1, 2013, and shall designate staff to assist the task force in performing its duties and responsibilities.

F. In making its recommendations pursuant to Subsection A of this Section, the task force shall, at a minimum, consider the following:

(1) The optimal balance of authority and responsibility between the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Education, and local schools and school systems for the review, selection, and purchase of texts and instructional materials, including internet content, for use in elementary and secondary schools.

(2) Strategies to increase the use of electronic texts and other instructional materials and address the costs of providing necessary related hardware and internet access to students and schools.

(3) Strategies to revise the processes utilized in the review, selection, and purchase of texts and other instructional materials to provide maximum flexibility for schools to take advantage of the best available educational instructional materials, while ensuring that every student is provided with texts and instructional materials that are as current as practicable and that are aligned with the state content standards prescribed for the appropriate grade level.

(4) A process to facilitate the purchase and delivery of texts and instructional materials at the lowest possible cost and in a timely manner, either through state contracts with publishers and other educational content providers or another mechanism that allows schools and school systems to conveniently and efficiently combine their purchases.

G.(1) The task force shall submit a written report of its findings and recommendations for related policy and statutory changes to the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education not later than February 1, 2014.

(2) The task force shall meet at least once a year thereafter to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the review and adoption process for textbooks and other instructional materials and shall submit a written report of its findings to the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education, not later than March first of each year.

H. The task force shall terminate and all authority for its existence shall end June 30, 2017.

Acts 2013, No. 378, §1, eff. June 18, 2013; Acts 2015, No. 389, §1, eff. July 1, 2015.