Jonathan Sachs held up two blue-and-orange textbooks specifically designed for his math class at University of Maryland, College Park.
Because the books were considered “niche” and he opened their accompanying CDs, he couldn’t return them to recoup the money he spent.
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“I’ve got 1,500 letters from students across Maryland who are saying the same thing about overpriced textbooks,” the student government president told the Senate Education, Health and Environment committee this week.
Sens. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George’s, and Jim Rosapepe, D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel, proposed legislation to end what they say are overly priced college textbooks. The bill would require:
» The unique International Standard Book Number (ISBN) of textbooks to be published immediately after they are selected for the course, which would allow students to search the Web for better prices and spur competition;
» Professors to justify why they must use a new edition of a textbook, which in some cases only has 5 percent to 8 percent new material, officials said;
» Publishers to stop bundling several textbooks in one package when only one textbook is needed for the class;
» A feasibility study to examine book rentals and digital books.
“The governor and the General Assembly did the right thing by freezing tuition, but students at UMCP are paying $1,000, in some cases, for books when their tuition is $8,000,” said Pinsky, who is building off legislation that this past year passed both legislative chambers but failed to make it out of a joint committee.
But some university officials and even students say the legislation would end up costing the state more money.
P.J. Hogan, head of government relations for the University System of Maryland, said the university system could lose $17 million in gross revenue from book sales, which would shift the cost of services that the state can’t fund to the students.
“I’d rather buy my books at the university instead of seeing my student fees increased,” said Joshua Michael, the student member of the USM Board of Regents, who is enrolled at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Hogan suggested the General Assembly exempt textbooks from the sales tax, which would drop prices by 6 percent, but “the state is unwilling to give up some of its revenues.”
But several committee members weren’t swayed by the opposition’s arguments.
“To me, if you’re losing $17 million, that shows a substantial profit being made off of textbooks” said committee chairwoman Sen. Joan Carter Conway, D-Baltimore.
“My kid’s school already posts ISBN numbers, so why is it taking the universities so long?” said Sen. Andy Harris, R-Anne Arundel and Harford.
The Board of Regents will take up the issue at its meeting next week.
