McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning Company secured a significant legal win against the state of Florida after a judge dismissed a lawsuit in which Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration accused the publishers of overcharging school districts and violating state textbook pricing laws.
DeSantis, a Republican, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged that McGraw Hill and Savvas gave some districts lower prices and free instructional materials while charging others more for the same products. State officials claimed the practice broke Florida’s “best pricing” requirements, resulting in millions of dollars in excess costs to taxpayers.

But a Florida circuit judge sided with the companies, ruling last month that the textbook pricing law at the center of the dispute applies only to interstate sales and not to transactions among Florida school districts.

The ruling could have broader implications for how education companies negotiate curriculum and instructional materials contracts in Florida, allowing publishers to continue offering different pricing arrangements to individual districts.

It’s not immediately clear whether Florida plans to appeal. Uthmeier and Desantis’ offices did not return requests for comment.

“We’re pleased that the court has recognized the lawfulness of our longstanding pricing practices and added clarity on Florida’s most favored nation statute,” McGraw Hill said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to support educators, learners and schools across the state as we have for many decades.”

Savvas added: “We want to thank the judge for his careful review and consideration of the law. We have always been, and will continue to be, committed to complying with all laws and regulations pertaining to the sale of our instructional materials.”

‘On The Prowl’

At the center of the case was Florida’s textbook “best pricing” law, a type of most-favored-nation provision that state officials argued required publishers to provide Florida school districts with the same favorable pricing and free instructional materials offered elsewhere in the country.

Florida alleged that McGraw Hill and Savvas violated those requirements by offering lower prices or free materials in some transactions while charging higher prices in others.

Originally filed in 2022 as a whistleblower lawsuit under the Florida False Claims Act, the case was later taken over by the state after Uthmeier intervened last year. In its complaint, Florida alleged that the publishers submitted thousands of claims for payment that failed to comply with the state’s pricing requirements.

The case represented the latest chapter in Florida’s increasingly combative relationship with the K-12 publishing industry. DeSantis and state education officials have repeatedly clashed with publishers over textbook content and curriculum materials, rejecting dozens of math and social studies submissions in recent years and accusing publishers of attempting to inject political ideology into classroom instruction.

At a press conference announcing the lawsuit against McGraw Hill and Savvas, DeSantis alleged there were at least 5,900 instances of overcharges. The lawsuit, he said, could expose the two companies to civil penalties between $37.5 million and $60.5 million.

“We are on the prowl to recoup this money,” DeSantis said. “We want our school districts to be made whole.”

Uthmeier, at the same press conference, called it a “textbook case of corporate greed,” saying the two companies tried to profit at the expense of students by cutting deals with some districts and charging others more.

Among the examples cited in the lawsuit: McGraw Hill allegedly sold a Grade 3 reading product to Miami-Dade County Public Schools at an average price of about $129 per unit while the Jackson County School District later paid roughly $155 for the same material. The complaint also alleged that Savvas provided certain science materials to Volusia County Schools at no cost in 2018 while other districts paid the full listed price of $64.47 per unit.

State officials alleged those types of transactions violated Florida’s most-favored-nation pricing requirements.

For their part, McGraw Hill and Savvas argued that Florida’s law was intended to ensure that districts were not charged more than customers outside the state, not to require identical pricing among Florida school districts.

Second Circuit Judge Jonathan Sjostrom ultimately agreed, rejecting the state’s interpretation of the law and preserving publishers’ ability to negotiate district-specific pricing arrangements in Florida.

Pricing Flexibility Remains, MFN Expansion Up to Lawmakers

Under the ruling, publishers can continue to tailor offers to individual districts based on factors such as district size, adoption timing, competitive dynamics, and implementation needs. Large districts, for example, may be able to negotiate discounts that smaller districts do not receive, while publishers may be more willing to offer free materials or pilot programs without worrying that those arrangements will automatically trigger statewide pricing obligations.

In dismissing the case, Sjostrom pointed to language in Florida’s most-favored-nation pricing law referring to prices offered “elsewhere in the United States” and concluded that it governs interstate sales rather than district-to-district transactions within the state.

The judge also highlighted that Florida lawmakers previously considered — but never enacted — legislation that would have explicitly extended the pricing requirements to deals offered to other Florida school districts. By pointing to that, the court concluded that Florida’s existing law does not impose a statewide most-favored-nation requirement — and that any effort to create one must come from lawmakers.

Get Exclusive Intel at the 2026 EdWeek Market Brief Virtual Forum

How can education companies break through the new walls surrounding school districts, built by higher prices, smaller budgets, and growing uncertainty? And how can they deliver the right support to remain on the inside? Join us to hear from school district decision-makers and experts and get exclusive data and intel on the trends shaping the K-12 market—all without leaving your office.

June 11, 2026 | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET