Graphing Calculator...school supplies are killing me(rant)

[Altoqueenkelly]

I'm not such a geek that I would own - at almost 50 - my very own graphing calculator for fun.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

East coaster here and I never heard of school fees until the Dis. Short of approx $30-100 of school supplies, school here is free.

It's because our property taxes are a lot higher. My friend lives in Indiana and they pay approx $600 a year in taxes but pay over $400 in book fees etc, per kid. I pay $6000 a year in taxes for a similarly sized house but have very few fees for school over buying basic supplies.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I have to admit, this might turn into a rant....consider yourself warned

Ok so being a Michigan girl now living in Illinois, I still get sticker shock every July and August when I get that lovely little bill in my kids' public school registration packet that, upon full payment, allows my children to be placed on a class list and attend school come mid-August (another pet peeve, but I won't get into that here...)

So, with a brand new high schooler this year and a 5th and 3rd grader, my total so far (for PUBLIC school) comes to $1340 including the mandatory school supply list, class "supply fees", three $12 mandatory, school-issued locks for DS's various lockers, a $20 activity fee for DS's school ID, and bussing so my younger two can mandatorily safely cross a 4 lane road that is between us and the 4 blocks it takes to get to their school (school won't allow kids to cross alone nor provide crossing guards).

Ok, i'm (kind of) accepting of this. I don't like it, but accept it. Then I get a letter from Ms. Spanish II teacher saying send in $50 for a mandatory workbook. Then Ms. Honors Algebra teacher tells DS that they need a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator...by Monday. Ok, how much could a calculator be, I ask myself?

We walked out of Target today with a $124.99 TI-84 Plus calculator. Sigh.

I told DS not to open it yet because I need to see if I can get it cheaper somewhere else. I found it on sale for $99.00 at Office Max. Sigh.

Please, please someone tell me that this calculator will take this child through trig and calculus and whatever his crazy mathmatical mind will take him for the rest of high school and college?

This calculator has just about put me over the edge with this whole school fees thing...maybe its just me, but I can say that a few years ago, having to spring for all of these fees would have been impossible for my family. How does everyone do it??!!

Have you opened it yet? If not, check Ebay. I got my TI-84+ for $40. Works perfectly. Lots of college students put them on ebay when we finish our math requirements. A good graphing calculator will be his best friend when he eventually gets to advanced stats.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Here in California, we have high property taxes (we paid nearly $8,000 last year), but public school is essentially free. DS15 is starting his sophomore year tomorrow. At registration last week, I paid a total of $160 and it was all optional. The ASB package was $100, which includes a yearbook and free admission to all home games. A class t-shirt was another $10. A simple ASB card for identification purposes is free. Another $50 was for a photo package, since they have their school photos taken at registration. There are no registration or locker fees. He could have walked in with no money at all and it wouldn't have been a problem.

All textbooks and workbooks have always been provided free of charge. Of course, we still had to buy supplies. And there are the occasional project materials such as poster boards, markers, etc. I think I will be buying one textbook this year. The Spanish department uses only online textbooks and last year it was an awful experience. If he cannot get a regular textbook for Spanish II, we will buy him one. But that is completely our choice.

 

[SEA333]

Ill try to answer as much as I remember from various posters questions...

Property taxes on our current 1950's era western Chicago suburban 1350 sq foot house on a lot where I can literally touch my house and reach my arm across and touch my neighbors: $7, 000/year

Property taxes on my 1600 sq foot new construction in a small town of 3000 pp on 3/4 acre lot backed by woods and a farm in Michigan: $4, 000/year.

Total school fees this year so far: $1340

Total school fees for 6 years of public school for my kids in MI: I'd guess maybe about $50/year for school supplies on the "wish list" the teachers were allowed to ask for. (But not require)

We pay $130/student per year for bussing to elementary school, and there is a shuttle option for the middle school if you live on the north side of our busy road (we don't), but we have absolutely no bussing at all for high school. We live 1.4 miles from the HS, and there are many who live a lot farther. The city busses are available to drop DS off 4 blocks south of us for $40/month if we took that option.

I know exactly what it will take to get DS into his dream state school of the University of Michigan, what his ACT scores need to be, what the liklihood of his getting a football scholarship is (uhh...pretty much nonexistant), and how much it will cost as a (now) out of state school. I'm already talking to him about how great it would be to live at home and take the metra trains to Northwestern instead, lol, so trust me...I know what is involved (U of M Alumni myself...Go Blue!). Its not Ivy League, and DS will have AP credits under his belt as early as next year. I don't mind paying *those* AP fees, in my mind they are cheap college credits! I'm ok with that!

 

[descovy]

Ill try to answer as much as I remember from various posters questions...

Property taxes on our current 1950's era western Chicago suburban 1350 sq foot house on a lot where I can literally touch my house and reach my arm across and touch my neighbors: $7, 000/year

Property taxes on my 1600 sq foot new construction in a small town of 3000 pp on 3/4 acre lot backed by woods and a farm in Michigan: $4, 000/year.

Total school fees this year so far: $1340

Total school fees for 6 years of public school for my kids in MI: I'd guess maybe about $50/year for school supplies on the "wish list" the teachers were allowed to ask for. (But not require)

We pay $130/student per year for bussing to elementary school, and there is a shuttle option for the middle school if you live on the north side of our busy road (we don't), but we have absolutely no bussing at all for high school. We live 1.4 miles from the HS, and there are many who live a lot farther. The city busses are available to drop DS off 4 blocks south of us for $40/month if we took that option.

How much is your suburban Chicago house worth vs your rural MI house? For example if your Chicago house is worth more, of course you pay more in taxes, and not because the percentage is higher.

How are your schools funded in IL vs MI? Is it by property tax or by something else?

I guess my point is... we all pay. Somehow, some way, the cost of running public schools has to be covered somewhere. Be it State Income tax, Property Tax, or every student covering their own financial burden, the schools cost money to run, and someone has to pay for them.

I dont envy the fees you have to pay. Conversely, I know there are childless/retired/homeschooling folks in my community that would love to get out of their annual $10k tax bill that funds my kids' education.

I can't say which way is right. But there is no mistake, it costs a lot of money to run a public school. And whether you pay as a taxpayer or as a parent, you still pay.

My hometown growing up is in an economically disadvantaged area (in another state) I never lived there as an adult, so I do not know how the school is funded. But I do know that classes are free, even free Pre-K for the entire town, and school supplies are about $20 worth of pens, pencils, crayons, and scissors. Sounds great that its so free right? But there are no jobs, and everyone really struggles to get by. Yeah you can rent a house for $400/mo, but you'll drive 50-80miles away for even half-decent work.

I may have to pay $10k in taxes in my current town, but we have jobs that support us enough to make that affordable. We could not afford to live in my hometown with the free schooling, virtually no fees, because we wouldn't make enough wages to barely get by.

As I said in a previous post. We all pay. They get us coming or going.

 

[SEA333]

How much is your suburban Chicago house worth vs your rural MI house? For example if your Chicago house is worth more, of course you pay more in taxes, and not because the percentage is higher.

How are your schools funded in IL vs MI? Is it by property tax or by something else?

I guess my point is... we all pay. Somehow, some way, the cost of running public schools has to be covered somewhere. Be it State Income tax, Property Tax, or every student covering their own financial burden, the schools cost money to run, and someone has to pay for them.

I dont envy the fees you have to pay. Conversely, I know there are childless/retired/homeschooling folks in my community that would love to get out of their annual $10k tax bill that funds my kids' education.

I can't say which way is right. But there is no mistake, it costs a lot of money to run a public school. And whether you pay as a taxpayer or as a parent, you still pay.

My hometown growing up is in an economically disadvantaged area (in another state) I never lived there as an adult, so I do not know how the school is funded. But I do know that classes are free, even free Pre-K for the entire town, and school supplies are about $20 worth of pens, pencils, crayons, and scissors. Sounds great that its so free right? But there are no jobs, and everyone really struggles to get by. Yeah you can rent a house for $400/mo, but you'll drive 50-80miles away for even half-decent work.

I may have to pay $10k in taxes in my current town, but we have jobs that support us enough to make that affordable. We could not afford to live in my hometown with the free schooling, virtually no fees, because we wouldn't make enough wages to barely get by.

As I said in a previous post. We all pay. They get us coming or going.

I'd say that there is an approximate $30-40k difference in home value between the two houses. Home prices in our village are high. I get it. But remember, we also have a lot less "house" and land here IL than we did in MI, and pay thousands more in "value"...and $3000 more in taxes per year. And, I didn't always live in the country in MI...we lived there for 8 years, while most of my life was spent in the Detroit suburbs, where the relative costs/taxes/property values were still much less than IL, schools ranked high, and we still had no school fees to deal with.

I *thought* IL gets a per pupil $$ amount per year from both the state and local property taxes. I have to admit that I don't know the specific ins and outs, but people say "my taxes support the schools" just as much here as in MI, so who knows.

I totally understand the demographics in your example/hometown...this is exactly how we ended up in IL. But i do have to say that i feel as "poor" as i felt in MI...we pay 10% sales tax, high property taxes, tax on food, and our gas prices are $.40- .50/gal higher than Michigans All The Time. I can assure you that my wages are not high *enough* to compensate for the outrageous cost of living in the Chicago area!

ETA: I know they will always catch you coming or going, but just between the two states I have experience with, IL seems to have found a way to get us both ways and then some, for a similar-style level of education. And its not just education...but it would be way too off topic to get into the rest of the "gotcha's" IL, the county, and our village has cooked up to ensure a steady source of revenue from its residents.

 

[crisi]

Here in California, we have high property taxes (we paid nearly $8,000 last year), but public school is essentially free. DS15 is starting his sophomore year tomorrow. At registration last week, I paid a total of $160 and it was all optional. The ASB package was $100, which includes a yearbook and free admission to all home games. A class t-shirt was another $10. A simple ASB card for identification purposes is free. Another $50 was for a photo package, since they have their school photos taken at registration. There are no registration or locker fees. He could have walked in with no money at all and it wouldn't have been a problem.

All textbooks and workbooks have always been provided free of charge. Of course, we still had to buy supplies. And there are the occasional project materials such as poster boards, markers, etc. I think I will be buying one textbook this year. The Spanish department uses only online textbooks and last year it was an awful experience. If he cannot get a regular textbook for Spanish II, we will buy him one. But that is completely our choice.

And in Minnesota, my property taxes are $4k on a 3000 square foot house - that seems like a middle ground, and while we do have to provide our own calculators and pay sports fees, and if you want a yearbook, you pay for it (but it isn't mandatory) there are almost no mandatory fees - a $20 "suggested donation" to cover the cost of materials for shop, another $20 donation for home ec.

What's interesting is per pupil expenditure by state....

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html as of 2011, Michigan only spent $100 more per kid. And before you say its Illinois teachers unions - teachers get paid more in Michigan....http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs.../15/how-much-teachers-get-paid-state-by-state

 

[Richard M Nixon]

Some of the better TI calculators can solve differentiations and integrations, as well as sequences and series. I'm not sure if the 84+ can, but if so, it won't be allowed in calc classes, which could be as early as senior high school if they're AP courses.

Don't buy TI calcs new unless you're a sucker for packaging. They will sell for 50-60 bucks on ebay and will not break unless hit repeatedly with a rock.

 

[elgerber]

both of my kids got the 84+ in 7th grade, and both used them all through high school, including AP calc. My dd just boxed hers up to take to college, and my son used his through college. So yes, while they are $$$ they will last and last and last!

 

[cjbcam]

You don't have to buy a sax, most music stores will rent them.

Renting for 3 years would be more expensive than buying one.

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

There's an app for that

 

[aprilgail2]

I've lived in a state where I paid $400/yr for auto tags. I pay only $59 in TX. Seems like they get you coming or going...

What are auto tags??

 

[pryncess527]

Renting for 3 years would be more expensive than buying one.

Your child's school requires them to do mandatory band for THREE years and they aren't even allowed to pick their instrument? That is absolutely insane to me. Along with the fact that they'd even start on Sax, our sax players in school started on clarinet and transitioned to sax later.

 

[tvguy]

Renting for 3 years would be more expensive than buying one.

Then it certainly doesn't make sense where you live. A sax that sells for $3,000 here rents for $45 a month, $1,620 over 3 years, about half what buying it would cost.

 

[J'aime Paris]

School fees here are getting a bit out of control too.
$75 for each sport, $74 golf shirt, $35 golf sweatshirt, $60 yearbook, $80 registration fee, $20 Spanish fee, $20 Art fee, $15 optional PTA fee, $25 home game pass, various fees for clubs that will be determined by which ones DD joins. And an insulting $200 parking pass! Most downtown commuters don't pay that much.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

School fees here are getting a bit out of control too.
$75 for each sport, $74 golf shirt, $35 golf sweatshirt, $60 yearbook, $80 registration fee, $20 Spanish fee, $20 Art fee, $15 optional PTA fee, $25 home game pass, various fees for clubs that will be determined by which ones DD joins. And an insulting $200 parking pass! Most downtown commuters don't pay that much.

My problem with the school system where my kids live is the sports are pretty much funded 100%, while the other programs are given nothing. DD is in marching band/color guard and we pay $900/year for that, half of which goes to transportation because the boosters for the music program has to pay for the busses. Sports pay nothing, and the county provides their transportation. My son is in football and that is a drastic difference- not only do we pay nothing, but they have multiple coaches on staff, a designated athletic trainer, multiple uniforms, helmets, turf field, brand new stadium lights, etc. Some of this comes from sports boosters fundraisers of course, but the bulk from the school system.

Other than that, class dues (pays for graduation and part of prom) are $60, parking pass is $35, and yearbook I believe was $115 this past year. There will be nominal $5-$10 optional lab fees and requests for materials in certain classes, and of course both kids need the graphing calculator. They both had to buy gym uniforms at some point as well- I think those were $40 each. We also have block scheduling but DD is taking "AP Seminar" along with AP Calculus, which means she has the class every day.

 

[McKelly]

School fees here are getting a bit out of control too.
$75 for each sport, $74 golf shirt, $35 golf sweatshirt, $60 yearbook, $80 registration fee, $20 Spanish fee, $20 Art fee, $15 optional PTA fee, $25 home game pass, various fees for clubs that will be determined by which ones DD joins. And an insulting $200 parking pass! Most downtown commuters don't pay that much.

That parking pass IS ridiculous. Talk about a money grab!

 

[carmelhp]

Indiana has school fees, my DD10 is in elementary school and will get $300-400 in fees each year, even though Indiana has a constitutional provision that every child will be provided a free public education. The state Supreme Court has interpreted that to mean "no tuition' but book fees and supply fees and breathing fees are A-OK.

 

[SEA333]

There's an app for that

Haha...DS14 is ticked that he KNOWS there is an app for that, and his phone supports it, but the kids are not under any circumstances allowed to use the app or phone in class.