Mathews County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David Holleran answered extensive questions about the purchase of textbooks during the April board of supervisors meeting.

Supervisor Neena Putt asked Holleran whether he had enough funds left over in his budget this year for the purchase of textbooks, and Holleran replied that approximately $80,000 to $100,000 would be available.

Questioned about what textbooks he would consider purchasing, Holleran said that the school system hadn’t adopted new textbooks in eight to 12 years, since there hadn’t been any money left over in the budget. He said the state used to give Mathews $75,000 to $90,000 a year for textbook replenishment, but that amount had dropped to between $25,000 and $30,000. Since textbooks for reading and math in the elementary grades are now consumables, he said, they have to be replenished yearly.

The school board, at its May 21 meeting, adopted new math books for K-12, new language arts books, and new h...