Questions and Answers - GISD
I hope that these questions and answers help you
better understand how the textbook system works in
Garland I.S.D.
1. Why does the Textbook Office
set so many restrictions
on how the schools can use
their textbooks?
First, you must understand that the State of Texas purchases all
of the textbooks. Second, the
SBOE(State Board of Education) establishes all
of the rules on how the materials are to used. As
the textbook coordinator I am required to follow the
SBOE rules. TEA, acting as the agent of the SBOE,
audits
school districts on actual textbooks on hand versus
state
charges and takes into account the actual number of
students
enrolled. When the TEA finds that a district
has lost textbooks without paying for them or that the
district has ordered textbooks over its actual enrollment
, the district is required
to pay TEA for those lost or excess textbooks.
2. Why are the prices for textbooks so high?
When publishers and TEA establish the textbook prices,
the price includes;
the student edition, the teacher's
edition,
the teacher's ancillary material
and, inservice training.
The textbook and its companion parts must be available
for at least 6 years at the same price.
3. Sometimes the price of a textbook has
a huge increase, why?
There are times that the SBOE elects to not adopt
a new textbook for a subject. When this happens,
the SBOE extends an adoption for 1 to 3
years. When a textbook is extended, TEA must
renegotiate its contract with the publisher.
Since the publisher had not increased the textbook
price over the 6 year adoption, they will increase
the price of the textbook. Plus as more of the
materials are requested by school districts after
the 6 year
adoption period the publishers must reprint
additional
books at a much higher cost per book.
4. What happens when a student does not return or pay for a textbook?
Each teacher is expected to maintain
an inventory of textbooks issued to a student.
If a student fails to return the textbooks, the teacher
is to report this fact to the principal. The principal
contacts the student and parents to attempt to get the book or the
money for the lost textbook. If this effort fails, the
student forfeits the right to "free textbooks". The parents
should be warned in writing that they must pay for the lost
textbook or be referred to a collection agency or taken to
the Small Claims Court. The campus is responsible to
pay the textbook office for all lost textbooks.
Email: bgcurtis@garlandisd.net
