Florida sues textbook publishers, claiming they overcharged schools

[Desmond Milligan 0]

Florida is taking legal action against two school-book publishers, contending they have not reduced prices as required.

Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office, in a news release Tuesday, accused McGraw Hill LLC and Savvas Learning Company LLC of “systematically overcharging” school districts for instructional materials.

The attorney general’s office, which said it had filed a lawsuit in Leon County circuit court, argued that under state law when publishers apply to be placed on Florida’s list of textbook providers, they must match the best prices offered anywhere else in the nation.

“Through a whistleblower complaint filed with the Attorney General’s Office, the state of Florida has learned that some of our school districts were being overcharged by millions of dollars for these instructional materials,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during an appearance at Voyager K-8 School in St. Cloud.

In a statement, Savvas said it has followed state law on the prices of its 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,” the company said in a statement. “We never charged Florida school districts more than the state contract price.”

Times staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek contributed to this report.

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