Cobb County (Ga.) board approves scaled-back purchase of math textbooks

The Cobb County (Ga.) school board has voted to buy $2.9 million worth of electronic math textbooks for its middle and high school students. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the purchase is s a scaled-down version of a $7.5 million proposal that board members rejected in April after several tea party activists complained that the books were too closely linked to Common Core national education standards. The board’s decision in April shocked the superintendent and sparked protests from teachers who argued that the textbooks were needed to build curriculum and lesson plans. Without the materials, teachers argued, students would be left to navigate free and unreliable websites, exposing teachers to copyright infringement and racking up high printing costs for the district.