The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-12
FREE TEXT BOOKS
CITY SELECTS
Plan Recommended With Pro-
visoSfhat State Board Gives
Local BoarN Power.

ID i.
viso That State Board Gives
|, Local Bears Power.
Free text 4 books fer the public
schools OF Richmond was The problem
, debated laat night at conference be-
IN tween ss4' a subconmitteo on Ordinance,
Charter and Reform ana the city
School Soho Board. 1t Sang agreed after
prolonged and thefough. discussion
thatte resolution woulay BIO recomtnsnd
ed providing free text Books at a sost
10 the city not to e,ssSoed SO, /,
year. proysded the state hoard of Isdu-
sation VIII consent to allaw the City
books Va sd : -. -
, It was brought out that the s,ats
noara Oh Education three Yeas ago
adoptcd n standard dist or text books
Tor the schools OF tho State. giving n
lumber of alternatives. The ffext
unoption Will come UP before tint
BOARD next April, when n fght win ko
inaoe TO mako single list for tho en-
IRE state. both for reasons of economy
ana TO give uniformity to the course.
Superintendent ]. y. C. Chandler OH
JectS that city schools running nine
nave the same course and books ms
country schools, running only four or
I'VE months, and the city will urgently
request that the State board enter a
rule permitting cities of the size or
Richmond to select their own text
books. All cities and towns In both
Caroiinas and In many other States
nave that privilege.
Cost of Books.
AS TO the cost. Superintendent
Chandler presented elaborate caIcuIa.
tons showing the cost of the books re.
CURED for each of the fourteen Gle.
hentary grades, after allowing for
DOORS carried from grade to grade, the
ao.a. cost of set of hooks for a pupil
entering the first primary and con-
t'nuing through { grade until
ready for the high school being sel.0s.
eliminating supplies and allowing
ior the discount which the city could
secure. buying wholesale the cost for
CARRYING !; pupil through the entire
elementary grade would be reduced
10 sio.il. The total high school course
iour years costs for text books II
an are purchased new, s36. Dr.. Chand-
Ter estimates that to outfit every high
school pupil with the books required
were none now in existence. the OK
pense would be S6,49l.50. BY the pro
cess OF turning In old books and US
ing them Tor grade after grade. he
.houSht the annual cost of high school
DOCKS to the city would not exceed
S9TS.
The Fuller ordinance, which thc
committee Is considering. calls for an
original outlay OF $4,000. and an an
nual expenditure of $4,000 The com
nv, was OF opinion that the first
cost would only be sufficient IL some
arrangement could be reached nv
which all pupils turn In their nresan,
DOCKS at the end of the session. as !,
prcrekuisite to receiving books free
next year. Figures were presented
from many cities to show the cos; of
supplying books, the general average
showing the cost per pupil for all
grades to be close to so cents. making
the cost here, with an enrolment Of
| $1,000 at present, about $4,000 a wear
10 maintain the system when once in
stalled.
Cost OF Schools Fer Capita.
Chairman Hutzler OF the School
Board stated that the board. at a
meeting Yesterday afternoon, had in
uoTsed the plan for providing free text
DOORS provided the cost entailed did
not impair the allowances now made
Tor the teaching force or equipment
or the schools in any way.
Mr.. Hutzler added that the public
SCHOOLS of Richmond were now being
conducted at an average cost of sl511
per pupil. Adding 80 cents for books.
me cost to the city per pupil would
hc Si5Gi. The present cost of tho
pubic schools per capita for the
whole population Is 500, and
the cost per capitalize tax on the
whole community for free books-will
DC cents head for every man. wo-
man and child In the city, making the
per CAPITA cost OF free education s1.97.
DR.. Chandler estimates that pupils
OF the schools buying misceilane ously
ana overlapping In many cases. ex-
pended during the past year $4,000
FOR school books. MIR. Fuller. patron
OF the ordinance, wns inclined TO put
the amount far in excess of that sum.
II was realized that the matter of
arbitrary hook adoptions by the State
board presented the most difficult
phase Of the free school book aues-
tion. Were the books adopted by the
City School Board and purchased by
the city. when it was found desirable
to change from one to another, GER
tain classes might be furnished with
the new book. the others continuing
with the old bSok until the supply was
exhausted