Florida’s Education Department could get into the textbook publishing game
Politico | By Andrew Atterbury | February 4, 2026
Senators had major questions during the bill’s first hearing about how the proposal would be implemented and how it could shake up the textbook market in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Florida Department of Education wants to publish its own textbooks for K-12 students, but state lawmakers have reservations about the idea — even as they advance legislation that could make it happen.
State senators introduced the prospect Tuesday as one piece of a wide-ranging education package that, among other things, would repeal a section of state law that forbids FLDOE from producing or publishing instructional materials for classroom use. Democrats opposed the bill over this policy, and even top Republicans were hesitant to move forward out of fears that the state could ultimately take over as Florida’s sole textbook provider.
“There should be a reason based on evidence that would suggest why the state needs to get in the publishing business,” said state Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Crestview). “If there is a reason, maybe it’s good reason. But at the minute, I don’t see in the materials before us an articulated reason, based on hard evidence.”
Florida, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, has scrutinized publishing companies in recent years over “woke” content in math and social studies texts like critical race theory and inklings of “social emotional learning.” On top of that, the state last year joined a lawsuit against two major K-12 textbook publishers — McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning Company — claiming they are “exploiting” and overcharging state schools by millions.
Now, the state is interested in getting into the publishing business, an idea that appears to have generated from the GOP leader.
DeSantis in 2025 requested millions from the state Legislature to develop open-source English language arts textbooks for grades K-2, an ask lawmakers approved at a $3 million clip. The governor followed that up by seeking another $3 million for 2026-27 to expand that to students in grades 3-5.
Florida law, though, currently prevents FLDOE from producing or publishing instructional materials.
While the state Senate’s bill, FL SB 7036, could change that, lawmakers aren’t convinced they want to make the move.
Senators had major questions during the bill’s first hearing about how the proposal would be implemented and how it could shake up the textbook market in Florida.
“If the state is going to become a publisher of textbooks, what third party evaluation will be done to make sure that we have the right kind of texts?” Gaetz asked. “And by the right kind, I mean, rigorous, accurate, available, cost effective, texts for our schools.”
State Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee), who introduced the bill as the Committee on Education Pre-K-12 chair, acknowledged that the textbook publishing policy needs to have “guardrails in place.” At the same time, Simon said the Senate is “still weighing the need for a policy like this.”
The idea was inspired, at least in part, by a similar measure that Texas lawmakers enacted in 2024 spurring the Texas Education Agency to create its own open-source textbooks.
Texas school districts are not required to use the textbooks or any materials the state board approves. But the state is attempting to sweeten the pot for schools that do by offering them extra funding, up to $40 per student annually, and employment protections for teachers
“I am still, honestly, weighing the significance of that [Texas] legislation and what that means for the state of Florida, making sure that we are not pushing publishers out or only providing one singular option for our districts to participate,” Simon said.
While some aspects of the Senate’s SB 7036 education package are included in bills advancing in the House, it doesn’t appear the FLDOE textbook publishing idea has emerged in the chamber yet. SB 7036 is likely to be considered in at least one more Senate committee, although it had not been assigned any stops as of Wednesday.
