As much as most Indiana parents are ready for their children to return to school in August, they have come to dread having to pay for their children’s textbooks. Indiana calls it book rental, but the truth is, parents have no choice. It is a stifling fee that parents must pay if their children are to have textbooks.
Law requires that Indiana provide a free public education to its children, yet parents get slammed with a book fee for their children to attend school.
In the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp., so-called book rentals range from $84 to $139 for grades K-5, per child. If you have more than one child attending public schools, you must pay the fees per child.
Indiana is only one of eight states in the nation that require that parents pay fees for textbooks.
To this issue comes Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, now in her second year in office.
Ritz proposed last week that Indiana provide textbooks without charge to the parents. Of course, that does not mean the books would be “free.”
Instead, it would mean that the costs for textbooks would be spread to all Indiana taxpayers, instead of being limited only to the parents of Indiana schoolchildren.
We have found ourselves more often than not disagreeing with the policy initiatives of Ritz but, on this one, we believe she is absolutely right.
She said, according to The Associated Press, “By funding (books) at the state level, we can guarantee that all districts have equitable resources for texts while also giving parents a much needed financial break.”
Ritz, a Democrat, is proposing that funds be set aside for textbooks in her proposed budget, but that budget will be subject to review by the Indiana Legislature and Republican Gov. Mike Pence.
ICourier & Press staff writer Chelsea Schneider reported that Ritz pointed out, “Our constitution provides for a general and uniform school system that is equally open to all. That is why we have requested funding for textbook rentals and instructional materials for all students. By funding these at the state level, we can guarantee that all districts have equitable resources for texts while also giving parents a much needed financial break.”
Of course, this discussion may be academic in the short-term given the role that computers and other electronic equipment are already beginning to play in our classrooms. It is inevitable that one day, computers will take the place of textbooks.
It hasn’t happened yet, but until it does, the obligation to provide textbooks is far overdue for Indiana families.
If most other states can provide books, then so too can Indiana.