Teachers and Parents Give Feedback on the Rejection of their Science Textbook Recommendations
At the March board meeting, the board voted to adopt STEMscopes as our textbooks for K-8, in spite of it being the least recommended textbook by teachers (in some grades, STEMscopes got zero teacher votes). Click here to see the specifics of which textbooks the teachers preferred.
I was interested in seeing what the public reaction was to the board's decision. So I submitted a Public Records Request to see all emails that were sent to or from any school board members between the dates of March 17, 2025 and April 1, 2025 with any of the following terms: "StemScopes", "STEM Scopes", "Science", "Textbook", and/or "Textbooks".
I received a PDF that was 1,426 pages long, containing 632 emails.
This post is a 10,000 foot overview of what I found: Public Opinion Data, Responses from Board Members, and Quotes from Teachers.
Pro means the emailer liked the choice of STEMscopes.
Anti means they didn't.
Category | Pro | Anti | Total
---------------|-----|------|------
General Public | 20 | 167 | 187
Teachers | 1 | 93 | 94
WCS | 0 | 81 | 81
Committee | 0 | 10 | 10
I identified 187 unique individuals who wrote about the science textbook adoption for K-8 grades. Twenty of those individuals (around 11%) said they were pleased with the outcome. The other 89% ranged from angry to bewildered in their displeasure with the outcome.
Teachers includes current and former teachers, from WCS and other districts.
WCS includes current WCS teachers and employees.
Committee includes folks who worked on the Textbook Adoption Committee
Some of these emails were only sent to one or two board members, but the vast majority went to all of them.
Responses From Board Members
Dan Cash (District 2)
Dan Cash only replied to folks who agreed with his vote to adopt STEMscopes, mostly thanking them for their support.
Dennis Driggers (District 3)
Most of Dennis Driggers's emails were internal to other board members or front office employees.
He asked for some help formulating his Williamson Herald Op Ed
He also coordinated with Moms For Liberty's local chapter chair, Genevieve Pahos, to try to get a copy of the AP Psych book for her to peruse.
Josh Brown (District 4)
Josh Brown only showed up in two emails that I saw.
First, he corrected the record when Margie Johnson said that Jason Golden blamed the board for the rush at the end of the process.
Second, he confirmed that he would not speak to the media.
Margie Johnson (District 5)
Margie Johnson didn't show up much either. She sent some internal communications, upset about the textbook adoption process. And replied to 3 outside emails.
Jay Galbreath (District 6)
Jay Galbreath sent 18 emails in response to criticism, defending his position and better understanding constituent concerns. Some were short messages of thanks, others were long email threads where he discussed the situation in depth.
He also arranged to meet with some teachers to hear what they had to say in person.
He also hosted a very lengthy discussion on facebook. Click here to see it.
Melissa Wyatt (District 7)
Melissa Wyatt voted against the adoption of STEMscopes. Most of her replies to constituents were thanking them for their efforts.
Donna Clements (District 8)
Donna Clements had a block of text that she copied and pasted as a response 105 times over the course of about an hour. The first one was at 6:46 PM on 3/26 and the last was at 7:47 PM that same night. She spent an average of about 35 seconds reading each teacher or constituent's email before pasting in her reply. Some emails were sent less than 10 seconds apart.
Claire Reeves (District 9)
Claire Reeves engaged in dialog with one teacher who wrote in. It was a civil and in-depth discussion.
Eric Welch (District 10)
Eric Welch also voted against the adoption of STEM Scopes. Most of his replies to constituents were thanking them.
Others
The only emails from Tony Bostic and Tonja Hibma were internal to other board members and/or front office personnel.
I found no emails from Drason Beasley. He was absent from the board meeting and did not vote on this textbook adoption process.
Work Session Agenda
The board will have their monthly Work Session on Thursday, April 17. The agenda has already been posted and there is no mention of revisiting the science textbook adoption decision. So that likely means that it will not be reversed.
Quotes from teachers
I would love to include every word that the teachers wrote to the board. And perhaps I'm sharing too many quotes here. But I want to impress upon you how strongly our educators felt about this decision. It is a rare thing to have a teacher write to the board about their displeasure with a decision. The teachers are writing to people who have a good deal of power over them. The following are quotes from brave educators in our district.
"During my time teaching in the district, we've lost many excellent teachers to other districts because of pay, climate, and decisions like those made at last night's meeting regarding textbook adoption. How can you spend the first part of the meeting discussing things like increasing teacher pay and then come back from break so blatantly disregarding us as professionals?" - WCS high school AP teacher
"Do not waste our taxpayer dollars on an inferior curriculum. Trust your educators." - WCS middle school science teacher
"The board chose to go with the one publisher who doesn't offer a printed textbook, meaning our students will spend another 8 years in front of a screen to use it." - WCS middle school science teacher who was a member of the textbook adoption committee
"If you were so concerned, why did you not contact the ones who made this decision for clarity? I am still open to discussing this with all of you." - another WCS middle school science teacher who was a member of the textbook adoption committee
"(The other three textbook options) are high-quality publications with attractive color photos and illustrations. They are all clearly written and student friendly... STEMscopes is an outlier. It offers a one-volume, non-consumable, hardcover encyclopedia and a black-line lab manual. It does not offer a consumable 'textbook.' It does offer a vast and impressive video library... All four of the vendors offer digital options. We will use those options in moderation. Sometimes paper is best. Sometimes digital is best. I have always used hands-on science activities in my classroom. All four vendors offer lab activities with kits." - WCS elementary science teacher
"Teachers are tired. They are tired of their expertise being second guessed. The school board should be their cheerleaders. This vote is a slap in the face. Shame on you." - substitute teacher in WCS for 18 years in WCS
"Every company gave us their own results, but as scientists, we both know independent proof is what really counts. What's also troubling is that STEMscopes didn't give us much to work with during our review. Unlike the other options, they only showed us a few hands-on materials during their short presentation at our February 14th training. It was tough to get a real sense of how their product would hold up in the classroom. They were not impressive in their presentation and, frankly in retrospect, a little cavalier in their presentation. Our rubric - the one where STEMscopes came in last - was designed by teachers who actually use this stuff every day." - WCS middle school science teacher who participated in the textbook adoption process
"In my 18 years in public education, I have never witnessed a school board go against teacher input for a textbook adoption. This raises red flags as an employee, parent, and community member." - WCS middle school instructional coach
"The textbook committee's evaluation was not a casual undertaking. It represented months of rigorous assessment by experienced educators who possess a deep understanding of our students and their learning styles. When the professional judgment of these educators is disregarded, it sends a clear and concerning message about the value placed on their expertise." - WCS substitute teacher
"I will make this curriculum work, but I will do so in spite of the Board's decision. You have lost the trust of most of your teachers as you decided not to follow our recommendations" - WCS elementary math and science teacher
"During our evaluation process, my science team at (redacted) Middle carefully reviewed textbooks to select the best curriculum for our students. Unfortunately, the textbook approved by the board does not meet the level of rigor our students require, especially since the majority are in the highest achievement group in the state. To maintain our learning standards, the curriculum must be robust and challenging for high-achieving students. The teacher-recommended textbook was one of the best options for providing that rigorous curriculum." - WCS middle school science teacher
"By choosing to overlook the insights and opinions of those who interact with students daily, the board is sending a troubling message: that the voices of educators and parents are not valued in the decision-making process." - six WCS english teachers
"As a teacher and parent with children in Williamson County schools, I find it crushing that the careful recommendation by our district's educators was dismissed. My colleagues that served on the committee are among the most thoughtful, intelligent, dedicated and hard-working people I know. And in our district's current state, with it already hard to find AND keep good teachers, the board's decision felt like a shocking slap in the face." - middle school instructional coach
"Having experienced a dysfunctional curriculum as a Spanish teacher, I can tell you that overtime, it takes the light out of teaching. Please reconsider STEMscopes for middle school. Listen to your teachers." - WCS high school ESL teacher
"I petition you to reconsider your vote to negate the voices of hundreds of professional educators who are required to work under the consequences you exact upon us with the use of your power." - WCS middle school science teacher
"As an educator and professional, I am going to make the best of anything (OER for example) and make it work in the classroom.....that's what we do. We are now at a place where you all have made a LARGE group of educators feel devalued! Not only do you have a large group of teachers that feel the sting of your decision, but you ALSO have a majority of parents that have lost respect for their elected officials." - WCS third grade math and science teacher
One elementary school teacher calculated the man-hours spent on the selection process and came up with 32 weeks of teacher time. She also calculated the financial cost and arrived at more than $42,000. "This money was NOT spent in selecting these materials; it had NO impact whatsoever on the purchase of textbooks for our students. It was squandered. Squandered because no board member bothered to come to the meetings to get their questions answered. Squandered, in fact, by the very people who have been elected to spend the county's money wisely on the best education of its students."
"We feel unheard, unvalued, and discouraged. We respectfully ask you to reconsider your decision and honor the recommendation of the many teaching professionals who want only the best for their students." - WCS middle school science teacher
"You really should listen to the experts as we are in the trenches every single day and know what works best for our students. This really is all part of a larger problem of communication and respect. In my 28 years of teaching, I have never once reached out to a board but strongly urge you to reconsider approval of the Science Curriculum you passed for WCS." - WCS elementary teacher
"The lack of regard for the research and opinions that you asked for from us is an insult to the extra time and effort we put forth. I hope you will consider the injustice done and reconsider the voice of your educators." - WCS elementary math and science teacher
"I have been teaching in Williamson County for the past three years, and prior to my move to Tennessee, I taught 6th and 8th grade science in California for four years. I wish to share my perspective and firsthand experience with the Accelerate Learning STEMscopes curriculum... I found it insufficiently engaging and lacking the rigor necessary for our student success in Williamson County... I want to highlight that while STEMscopes presents a 'textbook' - which I contend is merely a collection of articles - my classes could not utilize the physical versions. They were riddled with inaccuracies, grammar issues, and spelling mistakes. This forced me to rely on online readings or print materials myself, as the digital platform updated those textbook mistakes." - WCS middle school science teacher
"This decision was a huge blow to morale. I have personally been in education for 20 years and have never seen a school board choose a curriculum in such a manner. It is disrespectful to every WCS teacher for the school board to go rogue and choose curriculum that is completely outside of what teachers and administration and parents believe is best for our schools." - WCS elementary school teacher
"I am concerned about the adoption of STEMscopes, and my reason extends beyond comparing the available options side by side. My former district adopted STEMscopes. It proved to be an extremely challenging adoption for teachers to implement. The components were not user friendly, and the material did not help teachers cover the content with the necessary rigor, not to mention valuable time that was lost trying to figure out how to utilize the materials as well as time spent finding additional supplemental materials." - WCS elementary teacher
"I am an elementary school counselor in Williamson County for 23 years. I have never contacted the entire board in my tenure here but I'm so saddened and disappointed with your decision on Monday night that I feel I must reach out. By choosing the textbook option that did not receive the majority support, you are undermining the educational goals that teachers and parents dedicated so many hours on. I also believe with this decision many exceptional science educators will be looking elsewhere for employment."
"I'm writing to you to say how incredibly disappointed and angered I am, along with hundreds, if not thousands of teachers and members of the community over the recent science textbook adoption. Your decision is a slap in the face to teachers who have spent hours of PD and personal time researching, discussing, and diving into the textbook materials" - WCS elementary teacher
"If anyone on the board ever questions why teaching positions are so difficult to fill please look directly at this science textbook adoption cycle to get your answer." - WCS employee
"I watched the morale in my building this week deteriorate as teachers processed this decision made by the board. All teachers, not just science teachers, questioned whether their voices mattered." - WCS math and science instructional coach
Pro STEMscopes emails
One former WCS teacher wrote in to express her gratitude for the board's adopting of the STEMscopes textbooks.
Another person wrote in claiming that there were "hateful and disrespectful messages" being sent by teachers and staff. It was revealed in another email that this claim was made before he had any evidence. I can confirm that there were many teachers and staff who wrote in about this topic. Some of them were certainly angry, but zero of them were hateful or disrespectful.