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SCHOOL LAW

Free Text Books.^[1]

PURCHASED BY THE BOARD. Section 1. From and after June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety, each school board of the state shall purchase, when authorized, as hereinafter provided, the text books used by the pupils of the schools in its district in each of the following subjects: orthography, spelling, writing, reading, geography, arithmetic, grammar (including language lessons), national and state history, civil government, and physiology and hygiene; but text books once adopted under the provisions of this act shall not be changed within five years: Provided, That the text book on the subject of physiology and hygiene must be approved by the state board of education, and shall in every way comply with section fifteen of act number one hundred and sixty-five, of the public acts of eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, approved June ninth, eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, and that all text books used in any district shall be uniform in any one subject.

HOW SELECTED. Sec. 2. The district board of each school district shall select the kind of text books on subjects enumerated in section one, to be taught in schools of their respective districts: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall require any change in text books now in use in such district.

The board shall cause to be posted in a conspicuous place,

↑ Note.—We print in full Act No. 147, Public Acts of 1889, which is the free text book law of the state. Michigan has nearly 700,000 children of school age, about 500,000 of whom are attending school. There are about 7,200 districts in the state; and, up to September, 1894, only about 400 had availed themselves of the benefits of this law. Let the student estimate the cost each year to each pupil, and multiply the amount by 500,000 to get the estimated yearly cost of text books to the pupils of the state. Now, supposing text books can be bought 10 per cent. cheaper, and, being actually worn out in the service of the pupils, last 15 per cent, longer, what would be the saving in each year, if all districts furnished free text books? Another question: Should not the sixty-fourth and sixty-fifth words in section two be changed from “the first” to “each”?

[1] Note.—We print in full Act No. 147, Public Acts of 1889, which is the free text book law of the state. Michigan has nearly 700,000 children of school age, about 500,000 of whom are attending school. There are about 7,200 districts in the state; and, up to September, 1894, only about 400 had availed themselves of the benefits of this law. Let the student estimate the cost each year to each pupil, and multiply the amount by 500,000 to get the estimated yearly cost of text books to the pupils of the state. Now, supposing text books can be bought 10 per cent. cheaper, and, being actually worn out in the service of the pupils, last 15 per cent, longer, what would be the saving in each year, if all districts furnished free text books? Another question: Should not the sixty-fourth and sixty-fifth words in section two be changed from “the first” to “each”?

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