Textbook Loan Program for Private and Religious Schools

Background

Currently, five Connecticut municipalities, (Meriden, Milford, New Britain, Shelton and Waterbury) loan textbooks to religious and private school students. 

In addition, 19 states have a textbook loan policy for religious and private schools.  For example, New Jersey contributes $12.3 million, New York makes a contribution of $28 million and Pennsylvania provides $23.5 million for a textbook loan program for private and religious schools.

Section 10-228a of the Connecticut General Statues allow the lending of books by public school districts.  This law was recently changed to make it easier for local municipalities to loan textbooks. 

How Would Textbook Assistance Work?

New York

School boards are required to purchase and loan non-religious textbooks on an equitable basis to all students.  Parents are responsible for requesting the loan of textbooks from the local Board of Education, which is responsible for the purchasing and loaning of the textbooks. 

Each school district receives $57.30 per student from the state for the purchase of textbooks.  However, the local board of education may allocate more then $57.30 and all purchases must be distributed equitably.  The school administrator is required to provide a list of books used in the school district and is allowed to set a deadline for textbook requests from parents.    All textbooks remain the property of the local school district and must be indicated on each book.     

Maryland and Pennsylvania

Each year, the legislature approves an allocation of funds for the purchase and loan of nonreligious textbooks to residents attending a non-public school.  Non-public schools are required to submit to the State Department of Education a report that calculates student enrollment. 

The Department then issues an allotment to the schools in May to purchase textbooks for the following school year and sends a notice to each school what their allocation will be for the school year.  The Department purchases the textbooks on behalf of the non-public schools and has the books shipped directly to the school.  

The Department sends labels to the non-public school that identify the books as the property of the state.

Connecticut Federation of Catholic School Parents Position

The Connecticut Federation of Catholic School Parents support legislation that would provide per pupil textbook financial assistance to create a textbook loan program for private and religious schools.   In addition, the Federation supports more Connecticut municipalities allocating funds for textbook loan programs. 

The Federation supports a program similar to the state of New York that would require parents of school children to complete an application with their local school board.  The application would be submitted through the non-public school   The State of Connecticut would allocate $5.2 million or an average of $75 per private or religious school student.  Funds to each municipality would be earmarked solely for the use of the purchase of textbooks to loan to private and religious schools. 

The textbooks would belong to the local school board but a non-public school would not have to use the same textbooks as the public school.

Textbooks could only be loaned to schools where the tuition is under the average state of Connecticut expenditure per pupil.    

Results

• Private and religious schools are a great gift to the state of Connecticut and it would be beneficial to many Connecticut families if they received some financial assistance for the purchase of textbooks.  The states that have implemented textbook funding for nonpublic schools have relieved much of the financial pressure placed on parents that send their child to a private or religious school.

• Textbook assistance would allow the opportunity for more children to attend non-public schools because it would lower tuition costs and assist our schools that are facing a financial struggle.