NORMAL - Textbooks are expensive. College students often pay $900 a year for textbooks these days.

Commonly, elementary and high school textbooks cost between $50 and $70 per book per student. In a district like Normal-based Unit 5, with more than 12,700 students, that's a lot of money.

A small portion of the costs of textbooks is included in school registration fees, but most is covered by the school district's education funds.

While books are often passed down from student to student for five to 10 years, the books themselves might have a 15 year life span. Many don't last nearly that long because they become outdated.

Online updates may extend the life of some books today.

More and more school textbooks have online companions. The new series are introduced as curriculum is updated on a planned rotation, said Jim Braksick, Unit 5's assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Vickie West, an administrative assistant who works with text books and media services in Unit 5, said the district does several things to keep the cost of textbooks manageable.

In the summer, about 30 students work in crews with adult supervisors to take inventory, clean, repair and maintain books in the district and extend the books' usefulness.

When a text book's duty is done in the district, it may be sold, donated or recycled, West said.

"Textbooks are expensive," she said. For that reason the district implemented using bar codes on all books. If a book isn't returned at the end of the year, the student (or parent) must pay for it.

A student can't hand in another's bar-coded book as their own at the end of the year, because the credit goes to the documented owner.

"Normal West and Normal Community (high schools) recouped thousands in lost textbooks," when the policy changed, she said. If the book is not returned, the price is added to the students' registration in the fall.

In years past, the onus was on teachers to see all books were handed in, now the burden lies with the students.

"It teaches students responsibility," she said.