Grant is part of a program Congressman Ryan created last year

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17) and Congressman John Boccieri (OH-16) are proud to announce that Stark State College of Technology will be receiving a $300,000 grant to help make textbooks more affordable for Stark State students. The monies are part of the College Course Materials Rental Initiative Program which passed through Congress as part of last year’s College Opportunity and Affordability Act. Congressman Ryan introduced an amendment to that bill which created a nationwide pilot program to help expand the availability of programs that allow students to rent college course materials instead of buying them.

A federal report found that the price of college textbooks nearly tripled from 1986 to 2004 — an average increase of 6 percent a year (twice the rate of inflation)—and surveys show that students now spend approximately $1000 per year on their college textbooks.

“Textbooks are an often overlooked part of rising tuition costs; yet for many students, the skyrocketing costs of textbooks alone can mean the difference between attending college or not,” said Congressman Ryan. “I am proud that this program is helping make a college education as affordable as possible for American families and students.”

“Textbook prices are following the trend of out of control tuition increases at colleges across the nation,” said Boccieri. “This program addresses a significant barrier to higher education for struggling families.”

“The cost of textbooks can be a challenge for all students; however, for low and moderate income families, it can become a disproportionate burden affecting their ability to remain in college,” said Kathy Feichter, Stark State College bookstore manager. “This program will provide significant savings to Stark State students and allow us to create and offer quite an extensive textbook rental program to benefit our students.”

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