Indiana using $160M to cover textbook fees
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Textbook fees are gone, at least for the next school year. Indiana’s new state budget will use $160 million to get it done. Some parents and advocates applaud the measure, but fear it could create other challenges.
Parents with students in Indiana public schools will have one less back-to-school bill. Textbook fees for one elementary school student can cost around $160 per year. That price goes up once they get to high school. While legislators are offering relief, it may be best to look at it as a trial run.
In a matter of weeks, students around the state will be heading back to the classroom. Susan Sargeant’s son will be starting his senior year at Rooted Charter School, but before making the switch, as a former township school parent, she like had to factor school fees into the budget.
“What I like about the bill is it puts the focus back on education. For the parents, we all want quality education.”
The legislature approved measures to allocate $160 million from the annual budget creating the curricular materials fund to cover the cost of textbook and technology. Fees that can rack up into the high hundreds, and thousands depending on how many children you have in school.
“It’s always that question when you’re in public school and it’s supposed to be free. ‘What exactly are my tax dollars going towards?’ The fact that they’ve taken those fees away is great. It’s great for the parents,” Sargeant said.
For years, Marilyn Shank says the Indiana Coalition for Public Education has been advocating for the state to make a move like this.
“It’s a real win for families.”
“I’m excited to see the bipartisan support this time around. Prior to this coming school year, Indiana was one of seven states to have textbook fees,” said Shank.
“If you moved here from somewhere else, and then you saw all this extra money I had to pay at the beginning of the year. It was tough.”
Shank says $160 million might sound like a lot, but it’ll likely not be enough. For districts or schools with lower incomes, the disparity may be even bigger.
“If that runs short, a school will probably have to take money out of operating funds and out of salaries, and you don’t want to see that happen.”
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education says it won’t have statistics on how many students it’ll help until later in the school year.