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Proposal to Cut College Textbook Costs
As colleges kick off the fall semester, students and their parents are facing sticker shock when they buy textbooks. This week I was joined by several of my colleagues to outline a plan to reduce textbook costs by increasing competition and making sure students are not required to buy more materials than they will actually use for each course. I started investigating textbook costs after a family in the district brought the issue to my attention. On one of my regular blockwalks through the neighborhoods in the district, Trace and Cathleen Lutz brought some textbooks out for me to see and told me what their son was paying for the books. While I knew prices were high, I had no idea how much they had risen in recent years. A recent Government Accountability Office report found that prices for new college textbooks have increased at more than twice the rate of inflation. Fulltime students nationally spent an average of just under $900 for textbooks in 2003-2004. For some students, the cost of books can be more than the cost of tuition and fees. Students have told me that they often end up sharing books, copying necessary pages, using older editions, and doing whatever they can to save money. Meanwhile, publishers are changing editions every year and forcing students to buy extra materials like CDs and workbooks that they don't need. Those practices must stop. Texas students spend around $1 billion for textbooks every year, so it's really important that they get the most for their money. Anything we can save by cutting unnecessary textbook costs makes education more affordable for working families, without giving up quality. We are proposing six specific steps to reduce textbook costs:
Our plan would make used books more available by requiring at least three year's use from each book whenever possible. Used textbooks typically sell for at least 25% off the cost of a new book, sometimes much less. Currently, many books are replaced by "new" editions after just one year of use. By publishing new editions every year, the publishers prevent students from buying and selling used books. That means every student has to pay the entire cost of each book and then just let it sit on a shelf when they finish using it. Under our plan, public colleges and universities would be required to make their book lists available to students early enough so they could shop around for the best pricing. Any book retailer could compete for students' business. Currently, book lists often aren't available until right before the course begins, so students don't have time to shop and have the book shipped to them. And some campus bookstores have exclusive rights to the book lists, eliminating any chance for other bookstores to compete for the business. Many students today are required to purchase costly extras that come "bundled" with their textbooks. Much of the time, these CDs, workbooks and other materials are not used in the class, and just add cost. And some professors believe they must specify books for their classes even if they don't intend to teach from them. Adding expensive extras is inexcusable. We shouldn't be forcing students to 'supersize' their textbook orders. Under our proposed plan, students could no longer be required to purchase materials that their professor does not expect to use in class. I've had good discussions with higher education officials in our area, and look forward to working with them to pass meaningful legislation. As always, your input is welcomed. The Harris County Young Democrats have posted a survey on their web site to gather data about textbook costs at Texas colleges and universities. Students who want to report their textbook costs or make suggestions about how to reduce those costs can do so at www.HarrisCountyYD.org.
Scott Hochberg
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