The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-14
SCHOOL BOOK
LAW CHANGES
ARE FORESEEN
MAY Be Liberalized to
Save Patrons Money, Is
View at Raleigh
By J. c. BASKERVILL
The Tunes News Bureau
Sir Wnitcr Hotel


RALEIGH. Jan. Mot all
the people in the state nor all the
school teachers and superintend-
ents are entirely satisfied with the
present system of textbook adOp-
ton in the state and indications
are that one or more bills may be
introduced in this session Of the
general assembly 10 tighten up
the present laws. There are also
indications that other bills may
be offered to liberaiiZc the pres
ent regulations with regard to the
use of state adopted textbooks.
l. is maintained by those IA
miiar with the situation in many
city school systems that the pres
ent law requiring the use of state
adopted books in all school sys-
TENS supported either wholly or
in the part from state funds (Sec.
500, Article 80, page 81 of the
State School laws), is not to the
advantage of these school systems
and would work a real hardship
on them if strictly enforced. At
present, no penalty is provided
for this disregard of this section
of the law. But reports indicate
that the publishers of state adopt
ed textbooks are bringing pres
sure to bear to have this law
amended so that a penalty would
be imposed for the disregard OF
this section. and thus compel all
schools in the state, city systems
as we'll as others, to use the state
adopted textbooks.
On the other hand. most of the
superintendent of the larger city
school systems favor the ehmina-
ton of this section entirely on the
grounds that textbooks adopted
for six months term schools are
not adapted to use in schools with
a nine months term or even an
eight months term and that these
schools can save their patrons
thousands of dollars by using
other than the state adopted
books. 1t is also pointed out that
many city school systems have
either free textbooks or rental
textbook systems and that if the
section of the law requiring the
use of state adopted textbooks
should be strictly enforced, many
school systems would be compelled
to throw away thousands of dol
lars worth of books now on hand
and perfectly disable. They would
then have to spend thousands of
dollars moresfor the adopted text
books.
One of the reasons why many
city school systems do not find
the state adopted texts disable IS
because the adopted texts are for
a term Of only six months, it IS
explained, and hence do not con-
tain sufficient material for use In
eight or nine months schools. So
if they are used in these longer
term schools, other supplementary
texts have to- be used in connec-
ton with them. This usually re-
suits in greater expense to the
pupils and parents than if entire
" different and more adequate
texts are used.
In answer to a letter asking
his position with regard to the
compulsory use of state adopted
texts in city school systems, SUI
perintendent Horace Sisk of the
Fayetteville city school replied:
'The policy in our schools has
not been to adhere strictly to the
state adopted textbooks. In fact
we have used very few of the
state adopted books. / have neye'
thought the law made mandatory
the use of state adopted books IL
CITY schools and during the entire
life of the law | have continued
to use other texts without being
conscious of any. violation of th'
law.
"My mainsreasons for not usins
the state adopted books have beer
that certain texts. not on. tht
adopted list, were better thar