The Amherst County School Board voted to enter a five-year contract with HMH for secondary English/literature materials, awarding a total contract of $355,727.14.

Superintendent Doctor Wells told trustees the state reviewed the materials and found “nothing in that presidential order that would impact curriculum, textbooks, or anything along those lines,” removing a stated legal obstacle to adoption. The board discussed whether to take a three- or five-year term; administrative staff recommended five years to reduce long-term cost and administrative disruption.

Board members debated the budgetary effects. One trustee moved to accept the administration’s recommendation, saying the five-year bid reduces repeated procurement costs; another seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote.

District staff said a recurring, per‑student digital access fee would apply to the adopted materials and that the multi-year option reduced overall cost compared with renewing shorter-term contracts, but staff did not present a full multi-year cashflow schedule during the meeting. The board approved the contract and will follow up with standard procurement and implementation steps.

The board did not set a specific rollout timeline in the public discussion; staff will return with implementation details and exact schedules for teacher training and student access. The decision applies only to the contract motion approved at the meeting and does not constitute policy changes beyond the procurement itself.

Ending: The contract passed at the meeting; staff will circulate final contract documents and implementation plans to trustees and bring any required budget transfers to a future meeting.