We have to give the Indiana General Assembly credit for trying to do the right thing and eliminate school textbook fees. Doing so would provide a little relief to parents having to stretch their dollars these days, and it also would relieve some bookkeeping and collection headaches for local schools.
But as often happens, lawmakers said they were doing one thing but actually did something else.
As Indiana Capitol Chronicle reported last week, “Indiana House Republicans touted that their budget plan would eliminate textbook and curricular fees for Hoosier kids in K-12 public schools. But a deeper look at the GOP-backed proposal shows that local school districts will still be on the hook to pay for those materials.
”The House GOP budget that advanced to the Senate last week prohibits individual school districts and charter schools from charging fees for textbooks and instructional materials. Budget writers did not specifically appropriate state dollars to cover the cost, however.”
Once upon a time, budget-conscious Republicans would have called this an “unfunded mandate.” Because that’s precisely what it is.
Lawmakers have added $2 billion for K-12 education in the next two-year budget cycle, but so far they have not earmarked a dime for textbook fee elimination. One-third of the new money is allocated to expand school choice vouchers, and for many districts, the rest of the additional money will barely cover rising costs due to inflation.
So, without specific funding dedicated to cover the book fees, local school systems would be forced to raise that money from property taxes. And if they cannot do that, they will have to find the money somewhere else, perhaps by cutting other programs.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to come to that. That is, if lawmakers actually put our money where their mouths are.
Indiana is in an excellent financial position, ending 2022 with a budget surplus of more than $6 billion. As we have repeatedly pointed out in this space, that money belongs to the people of Indiana, and should either be invested in programs or services or returned to the people.
If that surplus was $1, eliminating book fees would cost just 2 or 3 cents.
Indiana is one of just seven states that still allow local schools to charge book fees. We submit that our state should join the rest of the country in eliminating these fees that put an undue and unfair burden on families, particularly those of modest means.
Gov. Eric Holcomb called for an end to textbook fees that he called a “hidden tax” imposed on Hoosier students and their families in his State of the State address. “Our state constitution promises a tuition-free education,” he said in the January address. “Let’s cover the full cost of curriculum fees … so that starting next school year, no parent receives such a dreadful bill again.”
Indiana Capitol Chronicle reported that Holcomb said last month he remains “very optimistic” that he’ll get most of his agenda priorities — including funding for textbooks — into the final draft of the budget.
We hope so, too. Because otherwise, the legislature will simply be taking credit for something they didn’t do at all.
