Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 15, 1994 TAG: 9403150017
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The General Assembly included $50 million in the state budget for the next two years as the state's share of the costs for a statewide free textbook system.
School systems will be required to pay the local share of the cost for the system beginning in the next school year. They will be barred from charging rental fees on books.
The free textbook system is estimated to cost $41.65 per student, according to Jim Foudriat, public relations coordinator for the state Department of Education.
The state will pay between 20 and 80 percent of the cost for the books, depending on the wealth and financial capability of the localities, Foudriat said Monday.
Most localites will fall between the extremes and will pay 30 percent to 50 percent, with the state paying the remainder.
The local share is calculated with the cost-sharing formula that determines the breakdown for state and local costs for schools.
The textbook issue has been discussed intermittently for two decades, but this is the first time the legislature has funded a statewide system.
Some school systems already provide free textbooks under an incentive plan that provides state funds to help pay for them.
But nearly 70 percent of the school divisions, saying they need the money, have a rental or partial rental system.
The school systems set their own rates. Some localities have a partial system - rental fees cover part of the cost, and the school system pays the remainder.
The fees vary in the Roanoke area: Roanoke's fee is $14; Roanoke County charges $11 to $23, depending on grade level; Franklin County, $15 to $18; Botetourt County, $30 to $35; and Bedford County, $35.
Most school systems have been providing free textbooks to the poorest students, usually those who qualify for the federal free-lunch program.
Roanoke, for instance, waives the $14 rental fee for students eligible for free lunches, and students who are eligible for reduced-price lunches pay $7, said Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations.
In the past, legal questions have been raised about whether the textbook rental fees violate the state constitution's requirement for a free public education.
But opinions by the state attorney general's office have upheld the right of school systems to charge rental fees.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994
by CNB