Thinking outside of the Book!

So my big problem lately as I start the new year and retake my roll as District World Language Chair is getting everyone to think outside of the book. In past years the argument in meetings would be what chapter we were going to get through and complete. The problem, of course, is that the curriculum guide for World Languages doesn't coincide with the book. So teachers were covering 5 chapters, but not getting to the essential grammar curriculum. I am trying to now focus on student ability to communicate and use the langugage, not focus on which chapter will we get to. This got me really thinking about the text books, how the text book adoption process went (which I was a part of) and how I feel the text books for Spanish are working now.
In general and in the past, I feel that text books can be a good tool and resource for language learners, but they should be the "core". Communication should be the core of any languge learning. This means students should be creating, applying, and using the languge daily. Not filling in blanks and spending more time figuring out what the book wants as the answer to be, than on practicing and applying the language to understand it. The teachers that I have been observing the past 2 year don't have a text book and have been creating their own curriculum based on students really engaging in the language to apply it (in all areas: Speaking, reading, writing, listening, and culture). The classrooms I have observed are amazing and the students language performance truly speaks for itself.
So...
My goal this year is to challenge our district to reach the same level of communication and application of the languge that I have seen. We need to create a new vision and the "text book" should not play the center role in our discussions.
Then my ultimate goal is to create a new non-text book text book!