Drew Dixon
Florida is suing two of the largest publishers of school textbooks amid claims the companies are overcharging school districts.
Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the lawsuit against McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning Co., alleging that the companies set up a system where they overcharged Florida public school districts in violation of Florida’s False Claims Act.
The lawsuit was filed in the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in the Big Bend and Panhandle area.
Uthmeier claims the companies did not comply with Florida’s statutory pricing requirements for instructional materials adopted for statewide use. According to Uthmeier, Florida law requires publishers to give school districts in the state the best prices offered anywhere in the United States. Publishers must also automatically extending any price cuts that are available in other areas of the country and provide free materials to Florida schools if they are provided for free in other areas of the U.S.
“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,” Uthmeier said in a news release. “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.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis also championed the lawsuit in a news conference Tuesday morning.
The state’s lawsuit says both companies “knowingly” charged Florida school districts more than the lowest prices they were offering districts in other states. They also withheld cost reductions that were being offered elsewhere, according to Uthmeier.
Ultimately, the legal action contends, public school districts in Florida ended up making “substantial overpayments” that the taxpayers eventually had to pick up.
The lawsuit is requesting civil penalties be paid by the companies as part of a strategy to deter the violations from occurring again.
