GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1989

H	3 

HOUSE BILL 577
Committee Substitute Favorable 5/9/89
Third Edition Engrossed 8/10/89

Short Title:  Changes in Textbook Adoption.	(Public)
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Sponsors:
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March 14, 1989

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES IN THE TEXTBOOK ADOPTION PROCESS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. G.S. 115C-89 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-89. Selection of textbooks by Board.
At the next meeting of the Board after the reports have been filed, the Textbook Commission and the Board shall jointly examine the reports. From the books evaluated the Board shall select those that it thinks will meet the teaching requirements of the State public schools in the instructional levels for which they are offered.  The Board shall request sealed bids from the publishers on all the books being considered.
The Board shall make all necessary rules and regulations concerning requests for bids, notification to publishers of calls for adoption, execution and delivery of contracts, requirement of performance bonds, cancellation clauses, and such other material matters as may affect the validity of the contracts."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 115C-90 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-90.  Adoption of textbooks and contracts with publishers.
The publishers' sealed bids shall be opened in the presence of two persons designated by the State Board of Education and one person designated by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The Board shall then adopt the books required by the courses of study and enter into contracts with the publisher of adopted books. It may refuse to adopt any of the books offered at the prices bid and call for new bids. When bids are accepted and a contract entered into, the contract may require, in the Board's discretion, that the total sales of each book in the State of North Carolina be reported annually to the Board.
	All textbook contracts shall include a clause granting to the State Board of Education the license to produce Braille, large print, and audio-cassette tape copies of the textbooks for use in the State public schools.  Also, the General Assembly urges the State Board of Education to request such a license from textbook publishers with whom a contract was entered into prior to August 1, 1987."
Sec. 3.  Of the funds appropriated to the Department of Public Education for textbooks, the State Board of Education may use up to $240,504 for the 1989-90 fiscal year and up to $240,504 for the 1990-91 fiscal year to implement changes in the textbook adoption process.
Sec. 4. This act shall become effective July 1, 1989.