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Pat Hardy (R-Weatherford) moves that the Board rules REQUIRE that ancillaries be provided electronically (digital or web-based) ONLY. She thinks the fact that the pre-K call is for a "system" will protect the unique needs of that grade. She believes that eliminating all of the shipping and expense involved will help publishers deal with the need for lower prices, given the state's budget woes. It is now forbidden for publishers to include print ancillaries.

Up until now, the Board has indicated a strong preference for digital ancillaries, but the language was not clear as to whether it was a preference or a mandate.

The ban on print ancillaries succeeds on a voice vote with only Mavis Knight (D-Dallas) voting no.

Publishers may still include printed material, but only IF they make it a part of their formal bid submisssion (which will therefore be subject to the same scrutiny and error fines as a student edition book).

Next followed a lengthy discussion of what makes a "classroom set." The new legislation allowing for textbook credits spent on technology had a small "bone" for the Board thrown in: The legislation requires districts to have classroom sets of textbooks available and have the superintendent certify that it is happened. Pat Hardy (R-Weatherford) is very concerned that this be a physical book or print-out of an open-source text, rather than merely an electronic book that students have to go someplace else (computer lab, etc.) to access. She is concerned that some districts will not have enough of the equipment, so she wants to specify that these are hardcopies.

The Agency lawyer, David Anderson, points out that the law was constructed in such a way that Board Members can't require paper, but that the word "provide" may give the Board some leverage: they can insist that the classroom set would be required to be accessible to all students in the class at the same time--practically speaking, most classrooms don't have enough computers for a digital product to be possible.