TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - Florida’s latest fight over textbooks isn’t about what’s inside them. It’s about how much they cost.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday that the state is suing two major textbook publishers, McGraw-Hill and Savvas Learning Company, accusing them of systematically overcharging school districts millions of dollars in violation of state law.

Florida law requires publishers to offer school districts the lowest prices available anywhere in the country, automatically extend discounts given to other states or districts, and provide free materials to Florida schools when those are provided elsewhere.

According to the lawsuit, McGraw-Hill and Savvas violated those requirements thousands of times, charging certain districts more than others and withholding cost reductions.

“Our lawsuit exposes a textbook case of corporate greed, companies charging Florida schools more than the law allows, pocketing the difference, and sticking taxpayers with the bill,” Attorney General Uthmeier said. “Florida will not be a playground for deceitful profiteers who think they can cheat our students and teachers. We will make sure they pay back every dime and face the full consequences under the law.”

Governor DeSantis echoed that message at a press conference.

“Textbook publishers that exploit Florida school districts must be held accountable,” DeSantis said. “Those resources should be going to school districts, to the teachers, in ways that are productive.”

The complaint cites at least 5,900 instances of overcharges. In Osceola County, one overcharge exceeded $279,000. Another example cited by the state involved a textbook title sold to Miami-Dade County at a discount but offered to nine other districts at higher prices, resulting in more than $250,000 in additional costs.

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said the case highlights why Florida is investing in developing its own English-Language Arts curriculum.

“Every taxpayer dollar matters and we will not allow publishers to exploit these taxpayer dollars,” Kamoutsas said.

Both McGraw-Hill and Savvas deny the state’s claims and say they will fight the lawsuit in court.

“We believe the AG’s claims lack factual and legal merit on multiple grounds. We plan to defend our position vigorously,” McGraw-Hill spokesman Tyler Reed said in an email.

“Savvas Learning Company has policies and procedures in place to comply with applicable statutes governing the procurement of instructional materials. We have always been, and continue to be, committed to complying with all laws and regulations pertaining to the sale of our instructional materials. We never charged Florida school districts more than the state contract price,” Savvas Learning Company’s statement said.

The lawsuit could result in millions of dollars being returned to schools and taxpayers if the state wins.

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