School fees gripe

[piglet too]

OK, I need to gripe here. I just went to register my boys for school. (I should have done this a long time ago but I procrastinate and today is the "last day" for it.) Anyways, I do not have the $220 plus $15 late fee to pay for their fees. They are making a big deal out of it, I have to write up a letter saying why I can't pay right now before they will take their papers. This is a public school district!! I feel as though they are making it so they won't let them start in August if I don't pay by then. Does anyone know if they can do that? My husband and I plan to pay, it is just going to take us a while before we have the money. There are other bills, like the rent , car payment, and utilities that need to be paid first.

 

[Laz]

I believe Indiana courts have ruled fees in public schools illegal. Anyone in the know?

 

[Jasminesmommy]

OhMy goodness.What school is this? When I was in Chicago public are fees were $50 and we never paid till the end of school. My daughter was going to go to a Oak Lawn Schoollast year and that fee was $50 but we moved to INDY

 

[totalia]

Interesting.

When I was in high school, we paid $300 in fee's.

How do I know this? I paid it. My mother had no money for it and I wanted to graduate.

I have no problem with fees. I know what they are going to.

If they are asking for that much, there must be a reason.

I do have a question though... why, if you knew they were going to ask for this money, haven't you been saving it up since last year?

Yes, I understand bills and stuff, but if you had been saving it since the last time they went to school, a little bit at a time, it would be paid for already.

 

[skiwee1]

I never knew some public schools charged anything! We don't have that in Maryland. Is this common?

 

[mickeyboat]

I have never heard of this in public school. What are the fees used for? Are they for extra-cirricular activities?

Denae

 

[Tiggeroo]

These fees are downright shameful. I had never heard of them before I moved to Chicago. I had just moved and was registering 3 kids. I applied for a waiver, which apparently they have to grant. I can't imagine families who are always struggling having to either pay this of go thru the humiliation of saying they can't year after year.

 

[aprincessmom]

Many schools in MA are moving to fees. In our town it costs $200/year for bus service if you live within a 2-mile radius of the school. Outside of the 2 mile radius it is free of charge but that may change next year and everyone may have to pay.

The costs caps out at 4 children and $600. All afterschool sports require a fee to participate, the most expensive being football at $375/child not including uniforms. There is talk of our music program becoming fee-based as well.

 

[totalia]

The fee's are used to pay for textbooks usually.

 

[Disney Ella]

I never heard of this either. I thought the point of public schools was that the school was completely funded by taxes.

 

[mrsmom]

We have fees here in our public schools they are bout 50-00 -60.00 per kid in elementary school, i had three kids in that school ,and one in high school her's was 80.00. a total of about 250.00.
I was told i had to pay this before Oct, This year i will have only three in school. and will pay about 200.00, I know this is high but after coming from Indiana where i paid 100.00 for each kid in elemetary school and 250.00 in high school for about 550.00. and i had until feb to pay there or no reports.. I would rather pay 200.00-250.00 any day.. .
Kim

 

[NMAmy]

That's outrageous. I've never heard of fees for anything except for extracurricular activities. Now, my taxes are sky high, but no fee. Maybe I'd be better off with the fee after all!

 

[aprincessmom]

Now, my taxes are sky high, but no fee.

My taxes are high and we have fees! And the school department is asking for another override to fund them. It's just insane!

 

[mudhen]

Fees are used for many different things depending on
the districts. It is not uncommon, and becoming more
and more prevelant as budgets are cut and unfunded
mandates increase.

We use ours ($30.00 per child) at the elementary level
for art supplies and supplemental instructional supplies,
ex. Time for Kids magazine, or on-line computer fees, etc.

At the high school level, they are used a lot for things like
science lab materials and art supplies.

I know we DO NOT use fees for textbooks, although I'd
guess maybe at the higher grades they might for one time
use workbooks and the such.

 

[my3kids]

In VA we used to pay a small, "book rental" fee, but the courts have since removed it, I was told. They ruled public education was free, and no fees could be charged.

What do public schools that charge do about children who qualify for free lunch? Do they give them food for free, but only after the parents have paid $300 to enroll them??

 

[Keli]

I have never heard of these fees! That is such a shock to me. What do they do about people that can't afford them? Chicago has to have a lot of kids that come from poor homes that do well to keep everyone fed and clothed, what do those people do? Do their kids have to walk to school while others ride? This seems so crazy to me, I paid school taxes long before I had a child and we're still paying them although she's out of high school and we'll be paying them the rest of our lives I suppose. Do people in Chicago and IN pay school taxes? I was raised in southern IL and I don't know whether we paid school taxes or not but I know we didn't pay fees to attend the public elementary school.

 

[mudhen]

In our district in Ohio school fees for those qualifying
for free and reduced lunches are on a sliding scale.

I don't know the exact numbers off hand, but one has
to have very little household monthly income (under $400 I think)
to have the fees completely waived.

Don't quote me on that number though.

 

[Cinders]

I believe Indiana courts have ruled fees in public schools illegal. Anyone in the know?

Never heard that it was illegal......they still charge.

Here's the breakdown of "Textbook Rental & Consumable Supply Fee List" for DS that will be in 6th grade
Reading $13.90
Science $ 13.85
Math $15.10
Language Arts $10.75
Family & Consumer Science $1.60
Social Studies $14.40
Current Health $3.25
Meeks Heit $1.00 (I've no idea what this is)
Technology $.50
Art $2.85
Computer $6.00
Activities Fee $8.00
Insurance $9.00
Coming of Age - Advanced LA $13.75
Athletic Insurance $9.00
Grand Total $122.95
And he'll need a physical education uniform around $20.00

Other Grade's totals include
K=$55.25
Readiness=$70.45
1st=$98.85
2nd=$89.95
3rd=$104.60
4th=$94.85
5th=$101.35

If students qualify for free lunches then the fees are waived.
All fees must be paid by 9-30-04

 

[KarenC]

The fees to send kids to the public high school in my community are outrageous. We are also required to purchase books and pay for the school bus. It easily costs $1,000 a year, if your kid takes the bus. Our son has a car so we pay $180 so he can park at school!

Last year, I paid more for my son's books than I did for my daughter's college books (and she was taking lots of math and science where the books are ultra-expensive).

As much as I love to complain about this issue, the school is great. My daughter was extremely well-prepared for college and my son will be too.

And yes, we pay school taxes. The school gets almost $15,000 per student from the taxpayers! (The high school portion of my own tax bill is around $1200.)

 

[minniecarousel]

Even in California, these fees are only "suggested" and not mandatory. Ours is a very affluent area, and no one is required to pay these fees - they are totally voluntary!