"Nothwithstanding the board has found it impossible, for reasons set forth in this report, to carry into execution the provisions of the schoolbook law, it is believed this law has not been altogether without value. We are convinced it has been an influential agency in enabling the people to procure school books at a considerable reduction in price, many publishers now agreeing to contract with boards of education to furnish these books at a reduction of 20 per cent. below wholesale list prices." Report of the Ohio State printer. The schoolbook board assigned to Mr. L. Hirsch, supervisor of public printing, the duty of estimating the cost of the school books necessary to supply all the pupils enrolled in the elementary schools of the State." Mr. Hirsch's report is as follows: Exclusive of the cost of authorship, compilation, and illustrative designs, In making the foregoing statement of the cost of publishing a certain number of school textbooks equal in kind and quality to those adopted as a standard of comparison and calculation, have endeavored to make conservative and reasonable estimates. In doing this it is proper to understand that the manufacture of schoolbooks is a separate and distinct branch of the publishing business, and involves many special processes and details, the exact cost of which it is difficult to obtain and calculate. It is comparatively easy to estimate the ordinary mechanical cost of making a schoolbook, including such items as presswork, materials, and binding. But these are really not the most important or expensive factors in correc ly estimating the total cost of publishing any given number of schoolbooks. It is the preparatory work before a single copy of a schoolbook can be printed that requires the largest outlay of time and money as well as the most skill and experience. When the manuscript of a schoolbook proposed for publication has been duly prepared and arranged, the inatter must be set up in type, and the type used in the composition of a schoolbook must be especially cast for that purpose, as it must represent the diacritical marks and technical signs or characters required in teaching. And schoolbooks as now made are embellished with copious illustrations, and histories and geographies must contain full and accurate maps. These must all be drawn by competent artists or expert cartographers, and after certain processes must be engraved by other skilled artists. All this work requires peculiar talent and skill and constitutes a large part of the expense of making scho books. The composition and preparatory work for printing a schoolbook requires the most careful and painstaking proofreading, and often whole pages must be recast. This editorial supervision and proofreading is no small item of expense. After the text of a schoolbook is set up, its pages of composed and corrected type are then electrotyped. These electrotype plates must be in duplicate, called "pattern plates" and "running plates," and five or more distinct plates, called "color plates," are required for printing maps. These plates must continually be kept in good condition and be frequently renewed, it being considered desir able to renew the plates of any schoolbook after printing 100,000 copies. After the work of preparing plates of the text, maps, and illustrations of a schoolbook, it is then ready to be printed. The printing of a schoolbook, especially those containing illustrations and maps, requires skilled labor and particular care. Maps must be run through the press as many times as there are colors to be printed in the map. When the printed sheets come from the press they pass through several different stages or processes, cach one requiring separ te manipulation by the hands of skilled labor. Indeed, it is labor, professional, skilled, and artistic, and not the materials or mechanical processes which constitutes the largest part of the cost of publishing schoolbooks. In view of these facts, which I have found in my experience and from my investigation of the subject during the past year to be true, I have endeavored to make safe and reasonable estimates of what it would probably cost the State to manufacture a given number of text-books for the supply of the schools of this State. In doing this I have examined into the results of the experiment of California in making and publishing schoolbooks, and have found, by reference to official r ports, that the State printer of that State made estimates for publishing schoolbooks as follows. On the basis of these estimates, made to the legislature in 1883, that State was led to engage in the experiment of publishing schoolbooks. At first only a speller and three readers were pub lished, and as the books were required, by the provisions of the law, to be sold at the cost price, such prices were fixed as follows: But even these prices were found not sufficient to cover the cost of their manufacture. In 1888 the State printer, in his official report to the governor, says: "After a few weeks' work upon the text-books I became satisfied that the price at which they were being sold was much less than their cost of manufacture, etc." Afterwards the following prices were established by the State board as cost prices for furnishing the books at the State printing house: It must be remembered that these are actual cost prices for manufacturing the books by the State, and that California had the advantage of a large printing establishment and plant to begin with. At the same schedule of prices it would cost over $1,000,000 to simply manufacture enough books to supply the schools of Ohio with the first outfit. But to the net or manufacturing cost of the California State books as given an additional sum is added or charged for distributing and handling the books, which makes the prices to the schools and school patrons as follows: These prices, which I have compiled from official sources, show the actual cost of manufacturing schoolbooks by State patronage and machinery, under favorable conditions, and demonstrates that books of a better grade and quality can be furnished by private publishers at less cost. I am free to state that this is my deliberate conclusion, and while I have at your request made the foregoing estimates, I wish it understood that I do not recommend that the State should undertake the business of making schoolbooks, believing that it is wrong in principle and would prove a failure in practice. The State superintendent is required every sixth year, under the direction of the State board of education, to procure proposals from the publishers of text-books, and submit a list of such books, with their prices, to State examiners and county superintendents for their votes. The books or series of books in each branch receiving a majority of all the votes must be adopted for all the public schools of the State for a period of six years. Publishers of the books selected must file bond to fulfill agreements, and must place a card in each school house showing the prices of books. Any district failing to introduce the authorized State books forfeits its proportion of the school fund. School boards of districts having a school population of 1,000 or more, however, are authorized to select books for the high school only. Provision is made for taking a special vote when any book or series in use is supplied at an unreasonably high price, or is found to be excelled by more recent publications, or for any good or sufficient cause.1 State Superintendent E. B. McElroy says: "This system is satisfactory to the public generally, so far as I know. My opinion is that county uniformity would perhaps meet all demands best."'2 PENNSYLVANIA. Adoption of text-books.-The school board of each district (i. c., in general of each township, borough, or city) is required to select annually, in consultation with the teachers, a series of text-books in the different branches to be taught during the ensuing school year. A majority vote of the whole board is necessary to decide upon any series of books. No book or series of books may be changed oftener than once in three years. 5 Free text-book authorized.—School boards are permitted to purchase text-books out of the public funds and furnish them free to pupils. "This plan is entirely satisfactory where it has been adopted, and is growing in favor throughout the State," writes Deputy State Superintendent John I. Stewart.7 Oreg. Sch. Law, 1889, pp. 9-11. Ibid., LXXXIX, p. 61. Ibid., LXXXVII, p. 61. RHODE ISLAND. Text-books, how supplied.-District trustees shall see that scholars are properly supplied with books by parents or guardians; and in case they are not so supplied trustees shall provide them out of the district school funds and make out a tax bill for the cost thereof against the parents who have neglected to furnish them.1 Uniformity.-The State commissioner is directed to "recommend and bring about, as far as practicable, a uniformity of text-books in the schools of all the towns." Changes. Changes may be made in the school books of any town by a vote of twothirds of the whole school committee (in Providence a majority). No change may be made in any text-book, however, oftener than once in three years, unless by consent of the (State) board of education.3 Woonsocket and Bristol furnish text-books free to pupils. State School Commissioner Thomas B. Stockwell writes of the text-book system of Rhode Island as follows: "Rhode Island has never had but one system, that is that of compelling the pupils or their parents to furnish their own books, save in cases of extreme inability, when the 1 town or district is authorized to supply them. The decision as to what text-books shall be used is wholly in the hands of each town or city school committee or school board. "So far as the determination of what books shall be used, I do not know but that the plan works as well as any that could be devised. The only demand I find that really exists among the people is for a uniform series of text-books for the whole State; but the only reason ever given is that when families move from one town to another they need not be compelled to buy new sets of books. Seldom, if ever, do I bear any complaint about the books as such. "I am in most hearty accord with the Massachusetts plan of having each town and city determine its own books and then furnish them free to the pupils. On the first point, I believe that competition will make and will keep very nearly all the books equal in merit; at least the differences between books of nearly the same age are seldom great enough to make much difference in their value. What one lacks in one direction it is very apt to possess in another. I have never seen the 'best' book yet in any line. I believe such a plan leaves the business in the shape least likely to give rise to jobbery and hostile criticism, and most likely to furnish the schools at all times with the most valuable and desirable books. "The second point provides the factor in securing the child's education that is too often wanting, and that often prevents its acquisition. It is the 'missing link' in the system. When you have provided schoolhouses, desks, blackboards, and teachers, all you need to complete the equipment is the books, and then you can go ahead. "I have watched the development of this question during the past fifteen years, and I am very clear that no system of State uniformity or even county uniformity by contract for a term of years or State publication is of advantage. Somebody undoubtedly gets rich harvests out of such schemes, but the schools are not the fortunate parties." SOUTH CAROLINA. The law. The State superintendent "shall secure, by and with the advice of the State board of examiners, uniformity in the use of text-books throughout the free public schools of the State, and shall forbid the use of sectarian or partisan books and instruction in said schools." The State board of examiners is authorized "to prescribe and to enforce, as far as practicable, the use of a uniform series of text-books in the free public schools, except in the city of Charleston: Provided, That the State board of examiners shall not have power, without permission of the General Assembly of the State, to change a text-book within five years from the date of its adoption."6 Operation of the law. -According to State Superintendent James H. Rice, in a letter to State Superintendent Cooper, of Texas, "the State board of examiners adopts a uniform series of text-books for use in the public schools. For ten years from the establishment of the board a multiple list of books was adopted, and the teachers were allowed to select therefrom books for use in their schools. This plan was found to work badly, for the reason that whenever there was a change of teachers a corresponding change of books was inevitable, thus putting parents to great and unnecessary expense At the last adoption, therefore, a change was made, and the plan set forth in the in 1R. I. Sch. Law, ed. 1882, chap. 55, secs. 3, 4. 47th Bi. Tex. Sch. Rep., pp. XXXIX-XL. closed circular [the resolution given below] was adopted. This arrangement has been found to work well." A resolution by the State board of examiners to secure uniformily and prevent needless changes in the use of text-books in the public schools of South Carolina. Resolved, That the peculiar condition of affairs in this State, by reason of which, not only in each county, but in each school district, there are teachers and pupils of different classes and races, possessing different capacities to teach, learn, and purchase books, it would be injurious to educa tional interests to adopt a single list of text-books for the State. That, in order to secure flexibility in the system, and to meet the varying wants of the schools, and, at the same time, to prevent frequent changes in text-books in a school, which impose vexatious and unnecessary expense upon parents, the State board of examiners hereby adopts the following rules and regulations to govern the use of text-books in the public schools of the State: The list of text-books to be adopted by the State board for use in the public schools shall be elective in character. On or before Thursday, October 25, 1888, the county board of examiners in each county shall, from said State list, adopt a single series for use in the public schools of their respective counties, provided that upon application from the teacher and trustees of any school, within thirty days after said county adoption, or thirty days after the establishment of any new school, on good and sufficient reasons being shown, the county board may allow the substitution in said school of any other book on the same subject from the list adopted by the State board. A series once adopted shall not be changed during the period of adoption by the State board without permission from the said board. This shall not, however, prevent the use in schools where the same may be needed, by and with the consent of the county board of examiners, of two series of readers on the State list to be used alternately, or of proper supplemental reading. The series adopted shall be put in force according to the commencement of the schools, not later than the fall of 1889. All resolutions by the county board of examiners pertaining to the adoption of text-books shall be recorded by the county school commissioner in a book kept by him for the purpose, and copies of the same forwarded by him, within thirty days, to the office of the State superintendent of education. Any teacher who, while receiving public-school funds, uses text-books in the course of study prescribed for public schools that are not on the State list, shall forfeit his pay from the publicschool fund for the time he used them. Any teacher may refuse to teach any pupil who is not supplied with the text-books prescribed for said school. Pupils passing from one school to another must conform to the list adopted for the latter. The trustees, or, in their default, the county board of examiners, shall enforce these provisions. The county school commissioners shall withhold approval of pay certificate of any teachier not conforming thereto; and the teacher persisting in violating the same shall be deprived of his certificate of qualification. It is advisable that there be adopted, as far as possible, the same books for schools of the same class and grade within the county, in order to secure, as far as practicable, county uniformity. It shall be the duty of the county school commissioner to report to the State board any attempt on the part of any publishing house, whose books are on the State list, to induce any change from the list regularly adopted for any school. As these provisions are in the interest of economy, parents are requested to coöperate in securing their enforcement. TENNESSEE. County superintendents are required to keep themselves "informed as to the merits of text-books and to suggest to the district directors such changes as may from time to time be advisable, with a view to securing uniformity in the course of study throughout the county, when it can be done without increased expense to the parent." TEXAS. In the absence of any statutory provisions regulating text-books, State Superintendent Cooper has instructed school trustees as follows: "It is the right and duty of each board of trustees to prescribe the text-books which shall be used in the district or community under their control. This duty requires much care. When books have been adopted they should not be changed without strong and evident reasons for change. Trustees have the right to exclude from the schools all books not prescribed by them for use in the schools." Under these instructions, trustees have been called together in county meetings in several counties and have adopted books for the county, pledging themselves to ratify in their several boards the action of the county convention of trustees. So far as the State superintendent has been able to ascertain, this course has given excellent satisfaction.1 Mr. Cooper sums up his examination of the question as follows: "A careful study of this text-book question leads me to the conclusion that its final solution will be free text-books, that is to say, the school authorities of each school district will be authorized or required to purchase the books from the district school funds 17th Bi. Tex. Sch. Rep., p. XL. Tenn. Sch. Law, 1889, sec. 9. 46th Bi. Tex. Sch. Rep., p. 23. |