The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-06
TEXT BOOK QUESTION.
Mrs. G. j. Evans Makes Position of
Board Plain.

To the Editor of the State Journal:
The district court has enjoined the
board of education from purchasing
additional text books for use in the
schools.
While a very few people take a de-
light in believing that public officials
are doing wrong and many therefore
jump at the conclusion that the school
board has been doing something wick
ed, most people will be glad to believe
that it has acted in good faith and
with the single desire to promote the
interests of the school The reporter,
however, labOrS under some disadvant-
age in reporting a subject of this kind
connected statement from a member of
the board would be appropriate at this
time.
Now in the first place the question
whether the board has the technical
legal right to purchase such books is
altogether distinct from the question
whether such additional books are in
fact needed.
However, if superintendents and
teachers in city schools agree that
additional books are needed in the
grades that fact might at least excuse
an effort to secure them, if there was
reasonable grounds for thinking that
the board had the legal power to buy
them.
Some fourteen years ago there was
enacted the school text book uniform
lty law. 1t provides for the appoint
ment of school text book commission
to select text books to be used in the
schools of the state, and from time to
tlme such an appointed commission
has selected such text books Now
there has been no effort to substitute
any books for the ones adopted by the
commission, but it is claimed by school
experts that more books are needed in
certain branches than are designated
by the text book commission. This is
particularly claimed in respect to read
ing and literature. It is to be remen-
bered that the text book commission
adopts books for the schools of the en-
tire state. In reading it has designated
for use five readers for the grades It
is quite obvious that as much time can
not be given to reading in the country
school where one teacher in a single
room must teach all grades as can be
given in the graded city schools Now
these five books in reading are the
only text books adopted to cover a
period of eight years or sixteen terms
in the city schools.
1t is the judgment of school men and
teachers that very considerable more
work in reading and literature than can
be secured through these books is
highly desirable.
In fact additional books in reading
and literature have been quite general
ly used throughout the cities Of the
formnity law was passed. They have
been in use in Leaven worth, Kansas
City, Atchison, Emporia, Coffeyville,
Hutchinson and a number of other
cities. In some places the parents of
the pupils have furnished these addi-
tional books as has before been the
practice in Topeka and in some places
the boards of education have furnished
them. The attorney general of the
state rendered an opinion to the effect
to purchase such books. Such has been
the opinion of state superintendents
and as we have seen the use of such
additional books has been common
throughout the state Possibly it is
one of these cases, not uncommon
where an obvious need has insensibly
affected the opinion of persons inter
ested in the schools as to the meaning
of the statute This uniformity text
book law was enacted several years
ago, and it is quite possible that sub
sequent experience has shown that it is
defective in some respects. What we
all want is large and liberal policy in
the interests of the schools. It would
be unfortunate to spend such large
sums as we do for buildings and teach
ers, and fail to furnish necessary
books. Clearly the substantially unani-
nous Judgment of the teaching world
upon a subject of this kind is entitled
to some weight Some elasticity is de-
sirable.
1t was said in the argument Of this
case that the question of the purchase
of books by the board of education
should be submitted to the people.
The statute does provide for sum-
mitting to popular election the ques-
tion of whether the board shall pur-
chase the adopted text books, but it
does not affect the question of pur-
chasing additional books.
A sound policy would give superin-
tendents and other educational experts
some latitude in selecting text books
and other appliances for the schools.
We should not unnecessarily handi-
cap the Superintendent of our city
schools. MRS. c. J. EVANS.