"At our first opportunity when the economy recovers, we need to restore funding to all three [college] systems," says state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). "But we can't wait for that day to happen," he continues. "We have to do the best we can with the tools we have to try to make things better for students and families caught in a squeeze." Steinberg's answer: Substantially reduce the cost of textbooks. Statistics and math textbooks can climb into the $200 range. Steinberg says that the average college textbook in 2010 cost $104, a 24% increase from five years before. Between 1986 and 2004, textbook prices rose 186%, double the inflation rate. Students can expect to spend more than $1,100 a year on books.
