RHODE ISLAND. The School Committee of every city and town shall purchase, at the expense of such city or town, text-books and other school supplies used in the Public Schools, and said text-books and supplies shall be loaned to the pupils free of charge, subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by the committee. A change may be made in the school books in the Public Schools of any town by a vote of two-thirds of the whole committee, provided that no change be made in any text-book in a town oftener than once in three years, unless by the consent of the State Board of Education. The sum of $4,000 shall be annually appropriated for the purchase of Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and other works of reference, Maps, Globes, and other apparatus, to be distributed to towns or districts making an appropriation for the same purpose, each town to receive not more than $200 if not divided into districts, districts to receive not more than $20, provided they have raised at least an equal sum. SOUTH CAROLINA. It shall be the duty of the State board of Education to prescribe and to enforce as far as practicable the use of a uniform series of text-books in the free public schools of the State, to enter into an agreement with the publishers of the books prescribed, fixing the period of prescription, the price above which the books shall not be retailed during said period, and a rate of discount at not less than which the books shall be furnished to the retail dealers. Board may require contracting publishers to establish one or more depositories in each county, at places to be designated by board; publishers shall give bond in a sum of not more than $5,000 with a penalty of $25 for each violation of the agreement, such bond to be approved by the attorneyGeneral. State board shall not have power to change a book within five years of the date of its adoption without permission of the General Assembly, except for violation of agreement by the publisher. No teacher shall be allowed to use any book not so prescribed except by written consent of the State board. Whenever it shall appear to trustees that any patron of their school is unable by reason of poverty to purchase the necessary books for his or her children, said trustees may purchase such books and loan same to such children under such regulations as trustees may prescribe, the sum thus expended not to exceed 5 per cent. of the school fund of the district for any year. SOUTH DAKOTA. The county superintendent, the president of the board of education of all cities or towns, the county auditor, the county attorney, the board of county commissioners, their successors in office, and one person from each commissioner's district who shall be selected by the members of the school boards of such commissioner's district present at a meeting to be called by the county superintendent, shall constitute the county board of education of each county in this State for the purpose of selecting and adopting all the text-books needed for use in the public schools in the county. The county superintendent shall in all cases be chairman of the county board of education, and the county auditor, secretary, and a majority of said board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The county board of education shall meet at the office of the country superintendent of each county of the State on the second Tuesday of June, 1907, and every five years thereafter, and select and adopt a complete series of text-books to be used in the schools of the county: Provided, That the boards in cities and towns may adopt additional books for higher classes in their schools. The county board of education shall advertise for twenty days in a newspaper published in each county that at a time and place named in said notice said board will receive sealed bids for furnishing school books to the pupils of all public schools in the county for a term of five years. TENNESSEE. The Governor and State superintendent, together with three members of the State board of education, to be named by the Governor, constitute a text-book commission, whose duty it is to adopt books for use in all the public schools of the State for a period of five years. Such books shall be used to the exclusion of all others, violation of which is punishable by fine of not less than $10 nor more than $50. VERMONT.. The school board of each town, city or graded school district shall furnish at public expense all appliances, supplies, and text-books used in the studies enumerated, and may furnish text-books on secondary school subjects. VIRGINIA. The State board shall select text-books, exercising its discretion as to books suitable for cities and counties, respectively. No book (except United States histories) may be changed inside four years. District boards shall decide what pupils shall be entitled to receive text-books free of charge owing to the poverty of their parents. WASHINGTON. In each district of the first class (i.e., one maintaining a high school with not less than a two years' course of study) there shall be a text-book commission composed of five persons, namely, the city superintendent (or, if there be none, the principal of the high school) as ex officio chairman, and two members of the city board of education or district board of directors, and two teachers teaching in the district, to be designated by such city or district board for a term of five years. Text-books shall be selected by said commission covering the course of study issued by the State superintendent for such schools, together with any books supplementary or additional thereto which may be deemed necessary, and such books when adopted shall continue in use for three years and until displaced by order of the commission. In each county containing any school district of the second class (i.e., one not maintaining a high school) there shall be a county board of education composed of five members, namely, the county superintendent as ez officio president and two teachers and two citizen taxpayers of the county, to be designated by the county commissioners for a term of four years. State superintendent shall prescribe a uniform course of study for all schools of the second class, and each county board shall adopt books covering the same and may adopt any books additional or supplementary thereto when The deemed necessary, which books shall continue in use for five years and until displaced by order of the said county board. A second class district lying in two or more counties shall be under the jurisdiction of the oldest county. Each member of the text-book commission of a first class district shall receive $3 a day as compensation while so employed, and each member of a county board 10 cents per mile travelled in attending meetings of the board. The commission and board shall advertise by newspaper for proposals to furnish books, which proposals shall state an exchange, a wholesale, and a retail price at which such books will be furnished. A sample copy of each book contracted for shall be deposited by the publisher with the State superintendent. WEST VIRGINIA. For the purpose of selecting text-books for use in the free schools of the State there is established in every county a school-book board, composed of the county superintendent, who is ex officio secretary, and eight other respectable citizens, at least four of whom shall be freeholders and not school teachers, and at least three of whom shall be teachers holding a No. 1 certificate and engaged in teaching. The said eight persons are appointed by the county court, and not more than five shall belong to the same political party. They hold office for four years, and all contracts are made for a period of five years. Boards of education are authorized, at their option, to purchase and supply to the pupils of their district all necessary text-books free of charge. WISCONSIN. When a school district is newly organized the board may make the first selection of text-books. No second selection can, however, be made by the board unless first authorized by a majority vote of the electors at an annual meeting, unless the district has voted to furnish text-books free. In such cases the district board is empowered to adopt new text-books at any time. Under other circumstances no change of text-books can be made until at least three years have expired after adoption. |