Superintendent apologizes for textbook committee letter error, vows process changes

Superintendent Dr. Mackey acknowledged an error involving the textbook-review process during the July 19 work session, saying departmental routing included unauthorized letters sent to people who were not approved by the board. "That is a problem on our end. That is a mistake," he said, and apologized to board members for the confusion.

Dr. Mackey said he signed the stack of letters as part of routine correspondence approvals and that a routing slip indicated 22 letters but the stack contained more. He told the board the department will change internal processes to prevent a recurrence and that personnel actions will be taken as necessary.

He also framed the problem in the context of existing law: textbook approval is the one board function that does not come as a superintendent recommendation, a structure he said complicates accountability. "Textbooks are not that way... the textbook committee makes recommendation directly to the board," he said, adding that he has previously advocated for changing the law so the superintendent could make a recommendation.

No personnel names or formal sanctions were announced at the meeting. Dr. Mackey said the administration will correct processes and bring textbook approvals back through the usual channels for the board’s action.