The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-24
SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKS.

| Now that the members of the re-
| organized Topeka school board have
made such an excellent showing In
handling the educational finances of
the city, they have an opportunity to
take the necessary steps which Will
relieve the parents of the school chill
dren of the financial strain that is
thrust upon them by the supplemental
text books which they are compelled TO
buy for their boys and girls.
One of the chief reasons for creating
the state text book commission AMI
providing for uniform books in all the
schools Of the state was that such
procedure would tend to lessen the
cost of school books, which is not an
unimportant item of expense In every
family that has a number of children
in the schools. 1t was figured out that
with all the schools having the
same books for the same grades,
so many of these books would
be used that the publishers who
got the contracts could afford to
sell them at reasonable prices And
that's the way it has worked out. The
books which the state text book COM
mission have decided upon and which
all the school children are compelled
to have are really quite cheap.
But it has been the practice of boards
of education in several cities, and the
one in Topel-~ surely occupies a posi-
ton in the front rank in this respect,
to nuIlify this important purpose Of
the state law, by compelling the school
children to equip tf1mselves with many
supplemental books on identical sub
jects that are covered by the regular
state text books. And it is generally
the case that these supplemental books
cost just about twice as much as do
the regular books. For instance, the
regular third grade reader, the one
selected by the state text book COM
mission, costs 26 cents. But the pupils
in the third grade in the Topeka
schools are compelled to have a sup
Elemental reader that costs 45 cents
and one that costs so cents.
A correspondent of this paper writes
that he has Figured the cost of the
books and nonadopted articles in our
grade schools beginning with the pri-
mary and ending with the eighth
grade and the sum of $14.2o is the re-
suit I have also figured the cost CT
the adopted DOCKS anu 11nQ In0y cost
$679, less than half that of the nom
adopted. Now suppose every child in
tn. Kansas public schools was required
to expend this amount to go through
the grade schools alone, there being
over 100000 children in school according
to the last state report, the sum would
be over 100000 for the nonadopted
books"
OF course not all of the localities in
the state have had this supplemental
book business thrust on them to the
extent that Topeka has, but the figures
quoted above give a good idea of the
financial burdens that these supple
mental books force on the parents of
the school children. There ought to
be a state law that would be sufficient
ly stringent to prevent any board OF
education from adopting supplemental |
books in this fashion. But inasmuch |
as the power at present seems to be
with boards of education, |
the Topeka board has an opportunity
in the premises for working out a re-
form which would be we'll worth while |
There is an educational bill nowl
pending before the legislature and the
should see that it embodies
a provision that will put stop to the |
of the state uniform text |
book law