California is trying to rollback the price of state schools, but not by lowering tuition. Instead State Senate president Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) announced that he will propose legislation to create Open Educational Resources in California to give undergraduates free access to digital textbooks for 50 lower-division college courses. Print versions would be made available for about $20.
“There’s a clarion call from students and middle class families to make higher education more accessible and affordable,” said Steinberg. “Open source digital textbooks can bring real relief of nearly $1,000 a year to each college student.”
The legislation, to be introduced next year, will cost roughly $25 million to start-up, according to a report in AP. If approved, the first 25 textbooks would be made available in fall 2013, with the additional 25 the following fall.
