School Board, Parents Reach Math Textbook Agreement

Fairfield school officials and parents came to terms with a settlement regarding the Algebra I textbook complaint that made it to the state level last month.

The Board of Education agreed in a closed-door session Wednesday to establish an "instructional online interactive forum" for Algebra I students who used the piloted College Preparatory Math (CPM) textbook this year, the Fairfield Citizen reports.

The voluntary forum will be offered for several hours a week during the first semester of the upcoming school year and will be supervised by a certified math teacher. It's intended for those students who feel they need extra help understanding the principles of Algebra I as they move on in math courses.

Prior to the settlement, the parents behind the movement to end the piloting of the textbook circulated a petition for Fairfield public schools to offer in-school remediation for students who used the CPM text.

Those parents withdrew their complaint with the state Board of Education upon reaching the settlement with Fairfield's school board.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. David G. Title also suggested administrative changes to keep parents, students, the public, and school board members abreast of textbook or curriculum pilot programs, according to the report.  

A state hearing on the complaint slated for July 17 had been postponed pending the outcome of Wednesday's meeting, and has been rendered unnecessary.

"We are pleased to report that a settlement has been reached between the parties in the 10-4b matter involving the Fairfield School District," State Department of Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said in a statement released Thursday.

A settlement conference was held earlier this month at the State Department of Education, according to Pryor. 

"The discussion was solution-oriented and led to a resolution of the dispute," Pryor said, formally agreed to in Fairfield on Wednesday.

"By working constructively, the Parents and the Fairfield Board of Education have achieved an outcome that benefits the Fairfield district and its children,” Pryor said. 

Read more in the Fairfield Citizen report.