ANSWER:

The FY 2016 Superintendent's Recommended Operating budget includes $6.8 million for textbooks. However, the total amount budgeted for textbooks, media center materials, and instructional materials should be considered since schools may use their textbook allocations to purchase materials and vice versa, depending on their needs.

The FY 2016 Superintendent's Recommended Operating includes $27.5 million for textbooks, media center materials, and instructional materials. In addition to the school allocations, textbooks, media center materials, and instructional materials are purchased centrally. These purchases occur when there are systemwide needs. For example, if the curriculum requires a new textbook for a course or grade level, the purchases are made centrally to streamline the ordering process and provide savings through bulk ordering.

Textbooks purchased by MCPS are aligned with Curriculum 2.0 and other MCPS curriculum. To ensure textbooks are aligned, MCPS has a textbook selection and review process. Textbooks are reviewed by a content team review committee that is usually led by the curriculum content area supervisor. The committee checks for alignment to curriculum, representation of the diversity of MCPS, and models of instruction that challenge and engage all students.