California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg announced Dec. 13 that he will push for legislation to create an online open-source library to reduce the cost of course materials for college students across the state.
Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said the average student spends $1,300 a year on textbooks, a figure his staff said is based on projections the University of California, California State University, and community college systems provide to students for budgeting purposes.
Under his proposal, materials for 50 common lower division courses would be developed and posted online for free student access. Ordering a paper copy would cost $20, compared to the $200-plus price tag carried by some books.
Steinberg plans to seek $25 million to create his proposed Open Education Resources system, with some funding going towards soliciting course material contributions from academics, nonprofits, Silicon Valley developers, and the book publishing industry to be shared freely within the system.
A new council of faculty leaders from the California public higher-education system would be tasked with selecting the courses for the first round of open-source textbook development and reviewing and approving the materials added to the library.
“There would be no mandate for faculty to use these books, but when given a more affordable, a possibly free option that does not sacrifice quality, they will do the right thing for students,” Steinberg said.
The book publishing industry bristles at complaints of rising costs, arguing that advances in the digital realm have already reduced the cost of books for students nationwide.
Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education at the American Association of Publishers, said licensing options and online texts offered by many publishers have slashed prices as much as 60 percent from the traditional print editions.
Hildebrand said publishers believe professors “want top-of-the line materials that have been peer-reviewed and are proven to be of high quality,” standards not yet guaranteed when it comes to open license materials.
“It’s sort of like textbooks for Wikipedia,” he said. “Who’s doing the fact checking? Where are the peer reviews?”
Steinberg’s proposal also could be a tough sell to fellow lawmakers, given the state’s fiscal troubles.
On the same day Steinberg unveiled his proposal, Gov. Jerry Brown said he would slash nearly $1 billion in funding for higher education, K-12 schools, and services for the elderly and mentally disabled.
Because state revenue has fallen $2.2 billion short of the $4 billion it had penciled into the budget when it looked like the economy was improving, Brown’s administration is being forced to make $981 million in “trigger cuts” under a budget plan agreed to by Brown and Democratic legislators last June.
The cuts are the finishing touches to a year in which Brown and the Democratic-led Legislature had to close a $27 billion budget deficit.
And they will be followed with more misery, Brown said, noting that he is in the midst of writing next year’s budget, which is $13 billion below current spending levels.
K-12 districts will face a $327.6 million funding cut, though it will be colleges, MediCal, child care, counties, local libraries, and services for the mentally and physically disabled that will be hardest hit.
The governor plans to cut $102 million from community colleges and $100 million each from the University of California and the California State University systems.
While CSU will not raise tuition mid-year—instead drawing on reserves and delaying purchases and maintenance—fee increases are possible next year.
“I don’t know where it’s going to stop,” said Leroy Madarang, 22, a senior at San Jose State University. “It’s either work more hours, get another job, or take out another loan.”
At community colleges, fees will increase by $10, to $46 per unit beginning in the summer. This will be on top of the $10 fee hike this past fall.
Copyright (c) 2011, the Sacramento Bee and the Contra Costa Times, with additional reporting by eSchool Media. Distributed by MCT Information Services.
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