Are You Kidding Me?: Textbook Fees Frustrate Parents

theindychannel.com ^ | 08/06/09 | Dan Spehler

[Abathar]

Indiana 1 Of 3 States With Public School Textbook Rental Fees

INDIANAPOLIS -- In the midst of back-to-school season, expenses for clothing, supplies, backpacks, lunchboxes and the like are expected, but some costs catch parents off guard -- such as rental fees for textbooks.

Indiana is one of just three states in which parents of public school students pay textbook rental fees, which typically run from about $100 to $400 each year, depending on the school district, 6News' Dan Spehler reported.

The additional expense is something that people who move into the area may not be prepared for.

Many parents don't understand why books aren't freely available in the state's public schools.

"It is a lot of money," said one public school parent.

The expenses are especially difficult for families with more than one child in school at the same time.

"I think the school should have to help out a little," said one parent. "They don't, so there's nothing you can do."

Asked if she thought it was unfair to charge rental fees for textbooks, Plainfield Community School Corp. assistant superintendent Mary Giesting said, "I don't believe it is. Here at Plainfield, I believe the average cost is about $100."

In some school districts, such as Carmel and Center Grove, textbook rentals for high school students cost up to $400 a year.

[Trailerpark Badass]

I try to understand the business model is such that books must sell for higher prices than a novel, but the prices for textbooks are ridiculous.

It's not like most of them need to be revised or anything. Secondary school math hasn't changed much in the last few centuries.

[devane617]

TB, I am taking a few graduate courses after more than 35 years since my last college courses. I have two classes coming up in the Fall semester and one book is $110.00 and the other is $98.00. That is books alone! Both courses probably have had no, to minor, corrections during the past several years.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Yes, that sounds normal.

One of the benefits (probably the only one!) of being an English major is that our "textbooks" were quite affordable, given that most were in the public domain.

Professors always listed the most recent edition with spiffy introductions and "study guides," but I always cheaped out and bought used Penguin Classics editions.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Textbooks are published by liberals, edited by liberals and distributed by liberals.

Textbooks are a cash cow for the driveby enemedia and they are granted a monopoly by education establishment liberals.

The publication information on the inside of the books will tell you everything you need to know, who sits on their editing boards, where to look for information on their board of directors, etc...

Liberals like to have their names all over anything, so when you go looking for books, if you see Maya Angelou or any other scum like that listed, you probably don’t even need the book and would be better reading up on it from another source.

[Political Junkie Too]

Maybe the cost of books would be lower if they didn't keep revising them to add the latest PC flavor of the year.

One plus one has been equaling two for a thousand years or so.

-PJ

[VanDeKoik]

“What the hell is this BS? Isn’t this what school taxes are supposed to be paying for?!?”

No, it’s to send socialist back to congress every 2 years.

[claytonsmommy]

I didn’t even know you had to pay for school books when I moved here. Where I grew up the books were supplied to you along with paper and pencils and erasers. That’s just ridiculous and I know before my child starts going to school, I plan on moving out of this state. Call me crazy, but I refuse to pay for something again when my tax dollars have already paid for it!