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This is puplic school??

5K views 112 replies 54 participants last post by  Hey Mama! 
#1 ·
Oh My Goodness! I cant get over how much money I am spending on PUBLIC school classes. So far (6 days into the new school year) Ive spent, $50 on a ROTC field trip, $25 for cooking class get up (hat and shirt thing, apron?) $25 ROTC uniform rental, (this is new this year we didnt have to pay last year, and ds still has all his uniforms from last year) , Im sure something eles is coming the week isnt over yet.
cant cooking class just cook, why do they need a outfit?

This is for highschool
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Garden~Lover View Post
Oh My Goodness! I cant get over how much money I am spending on PUBLIC school classes. So far (6 days into the new school year) Ive spent, $50 on a ROTC field trip, $25 for cooking class get up (hat and shirt thing, apron?) $25 ROTC uniform rental, (this is new this year we didnt have to pay last year, and ds still has all his uniforms from last year) , Im sure something eles is coming the week isnt over yet.
cant cooking class just cook, why do they need a outfit?

This is for highschool
Not to be unsympathetic, but isn't ROTC an optional program (i.e. if you don't want to particiapte, you don't have to pay)?
 
#4 ·
It is , he does want to go into the airforce after Highschool . I really cant tell him he cant do it. Yes I do understand he doesnt have to take it......

>>>>>I can empathize. My son took culinary arts in high school and needed the entire uniform... hat, jacket, apron, oh and non-slip shoes. I'm glad those days are over, and the upside is that he uses everything he learned in that vocational program to support himself now.
It does get better>>>

I know, Its just like a slap in the face. When the kids are picking out there courses the year before, they dont tell you that there are fee's to these courses. So the kids get their hearts set on somthing.
He has been in ROTC for 2 years and if he finishes 4 years he gets to enter at a higher rank.
 
#5 ·
If it's for a voc ed class they might be pushing for a sense of professionalism, especially if the class is one that they can continue on in after HS. I had students in phlebotomy class and nurse assistant classes who had to wear/but scrubs to be allowed into the program, and the same with a mechanic program.
 
#6 ·
The district that my parents live in just got sued and they lost the lawsuit, over student fees. They had been charging fees for stuff like play intermural sports, uniforms for PE, etc. Anyway, they now owe I think almost 500,000$ in fees that they are supposed to pay back to families for like the last 10 years. It is a logistical nightmare, plus of course, they don't have that much cash just sitting around.

It is really sad that schools have to charge the fees. When I was in HS I chose not to try out for dance team because I knew you have to buy almost 1000$ worth of crap if you made it (like 5 different uniforms + t-shirts, shorts, matching sneakers, etc etc). The line from the coach was that if you couldn't afford it she would give you access to whatever you wanted to sell (coupon books, chocolate bars, etc) to earn the money. thanks coach. I will earn 1000$ fast @50 cents a candy bar.
 
#7 ·
it is true... and just an fyi, a lot of that money doesn't go to the schools... I think a little bit of common sense needs to be injected, especially at the high school level.

Why does the drill team need matching bags and scrunchies?
Why does the chior have to pay 80 dollars in dress rental fees? It's just ridiculous.
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KateKat View Post
Not to be unsympathetic, but isn't ROTC an optional program (i.e. if you don't want to particiapte, you don't have to pay)?
Bwahahaha, do you have teenagers? Sometimes, things that should be optional really are not if you want to have any peace in your life.
 
#10 ·
I can empathize, last week I paid $400 in school fees for my kiddos in public school.

But when it comes down to it, I do feel that I am ultimately responsible for my children's welfare and education. I have chosen to send them school and I think it's reasonable for me to pay for supplies and field trips. I understand that it doesn't seem like certain school activities are optional, because it would be incredibly difficult to say no to a child who wanted to participate. But OTOH I don't think it's fair to expect the taxpayers to foot the bill for extras, either.
 
#13 ·
I just wanted to throw this in there. I do encourage my kids to do stuff away from the normal school ,I hate to complain about it, I just wish I had known about it(the fees). LOL this is from one child, the other 2 havent brought anything home yet. Although dd wants to do band , which again is great, and thankfully the lessons are free, but the instrument rental is not.

Although highschool has changed a whole heck of alot since I was there. There is a bank in the school a DD, a police office , a store (no not your normal school store to sell pencils, this is a store that sells clothes)
LOL we live in a "small" city. Its crazy.
I dont remember things costing like this when I was in school.
 
#14 ·
We did have to buy our gym uniforms in HS. And, they were hideous.

You have the gov't to thank for this. They have cut the $$ they give to the school districts, so they pass it in to the families. Our district does have a mandate, that is someone has a financial hardship, they can still participate at free or greatly reduced fees.
 
#15 ·
If you're talking band, it isn't always just the instrument rental fee. It's uniform rental fee, uniform cleaning fee, shoes, gloves,plus this year a new one got tacked on - band instructional fee. Dance squad is probably the worst- they tell you up front that they are not funded by the school which translates into $$$$$. Also, no, they can't MAKE you pay it, but if you want to participate you either pay now, work out a payment plan, or show that you honestly can't afford . They do say that no one should be excluded because they cannot pay. It's just something you need to plan for when budgeting.
 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Garden~Lover View Post
I just wanted to throw this in there. I do encourage my kids to do stuff away from the normal school ,I hate to complain about it, I just wish I had known about it(the fees).
I can completely understand this. It makes it difficult to afford those extras when communication between the school and home is lacking and you're not informed until the last minute that you will need to pay a fee.
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Garden~Lover View Post
I just wanted to throw this in there. I do encourage my kids to do stuff away from the normal school ,I hate to complain about it, I just wish I had known about it(the fees).
You can probably do something about that aspect- well, not for this year, but for next year and beyond. Talk to somebody in the school office about this- find out who's in charge of printing up the course catalogs. Suggest they include information about fees in course descriptions in the future.
 
#19 ·
I teach in a public high school. When the kids are working on schedules, they are given booklets and the fees are listed. 95% of those booklets are left lying around and never make it home.

Public schools are funded by state and local taxes. The feds might chip in token amounts, but by no means are federal funds the primary source. It is also not a federal responsibility to fund schools- it never has been. It has always been a state duty. One reason for the huge differences among states and school quality.
I know in our area, school taxes have to be approved every few years and of course most people simply vote no on taxes, therefore more is passed on to the parents because funding is cut. it is not always "the government" who is at fault. People don't always understand what they are voting for or against.

Also, nothing is free. we all pay for schooling in some way. In my state, we fund schools through sales tax. I tell my students that when they fail, they are wasting their own money. Every pair of designer shoes or CD helps pay for their own education- don't waste it.

Every school handles people who can't afford the fees differently. If you truly can't afford the fees, call the school counselor. I teach in a school with an incredible range of students from diverse socio economic abilities. The school can and will hold transcripts and schedules for not paying fees. However, if a family truly can't afford the fees, we have contingencies for that. Someone just has to ask for the help. We also give extensions to pay if the problem is simply one of everything at once. Most schools are willing to work with parents but communication is the key.
 
#20 ·
I'm going to offer a different perspective. If a high school kid (perhaps even junior high) wants to do an extracurricular, either through school or outside, and the family absolutely canNOT afford it, the kid is old enough to understand that if they want to do something, they need to come up with the fees.

A kid can babysit, be a mother's helper, do chores/yardwork (rake leaves, shovel snow, cut grass, weed, pick produce, etc.) for neighbors elderly and not. There are also paper routes (some communities have weekly newspapers that don't require a daily committment like a daily paper).

Friends of older kids report that the teenagers seem to have a more difficult time getting part-time jobs (it seems to me that adults are taking these jobs due to the tough economy), but a kid can still do the yard work/babysitting route. Problem is, many of the kids do NOT want to do the work. A couple who are empty nesters have a house with a not-huge yard. Their work schedules don't allow them as much time as they used to have for yard work. There are teenagers in their neighborhood. They've offered the grass cutting job to several of the teenagers - name your own price. The kids didn't want it - "too much work."
 
#21 ·
I am going to pay, i would never not pay. I dont think that would teach my son who is almost an adult reposibility. I was just taken back by this. We have never had to "pay" for a class. Yes band you pay for, yes dance, yes, cheerleading. Those , here anyways, where never considered part of school.

actual credit classes ,there where never any fees for, and I have his course book they gave him last year. The field trips, he didnt even have to pay for last year, excpept a bus fee(they are to military bases). Maybe the town pulled alot of funding this summer, I dont know. Please dont think I wont pay for them, again I am just
Even with dds band, we dont pay anything, on all the papers, everything said it was state funded and there is no $. We do have a big meeting for parents next week that I am going to go to and find out the ins and outs. Although I would expect to pay something, its not part of school.
LOL again lots of things are different, they dont give the kids books anymore, all their course books are on computer disc.
 
#22 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tradd View Post
I'm going to offer a different perspective. If a high school kid (perhaps even junior high) wants to do an extracurricular, either through school or outside, and the family absolutely canNOT afford it, the kid is old enough to understand that if they want to do something, they need to come up with the fees.

A kid can babysit, be a mother's helper, do chores/yardwork (rake leaves, shovel snow, cut grass, weed, pick produce, etc.) for neighbors elderly and not. There are also paper routes (some communities have weekly newspapers that don't require a daily committment like a daily paper).

Friends of older kids report that the teenagers seem to have a more difficult time getting part-time jobs (it seems to me that adults are taking these jobs due to the tough economy), but a kid can still do the yard work/babysitting route. Problem is, many of the kids do NOT want to do the work. A couple who are empty nesters have a house with a not-huge yard. Their work schedules don't allow them as much time as they used to have for yard work. There are teenagers in their neighborhood. They've offered the grass cutting job to several of the teenagers - name your own price. The kids didn't want it - "too much work."

I agree with you to an extent. As the mother of a now 16 yo who has a regular job, I have found that there are a lot less of those odd jobs for kids than one would expect. Obviously location plays a role, but where we live, when my ds was 12 he tried offering many of the services that you mentioned and had no takers. Sadly many folks don't want boy babysitters/mother's helpers so the one idea job for a preteen/young teen does not exist for boys it seems.

As far as yard work, I think for many folks the issue of liability and what if comes up so folks maybe weary of using a kid. I wish I could find a kid to do lawnwork around here.

Of course the other flipside logistically of working and activities even with older teens is that if they are doing activities after school, its hard to work. Right now my son has the lead in the school play and is at rehearsal until 8:30 every night and Sat mornings for the next month. So his work schedule has been cut drastically and he's got homecoming coming up, which means expenses. In my case I have agreed to help fund his homecoming expenses since having the lead in the school play as a junior is a big deal and he loves acting.

To the OP, I feel your pain. I swear since ds started HS, everything has a cost attached to it.

Shay
 
#23 ·
Yeah, it was like that back in my high school days.

My sister and I didn't do any sports because our family was living off just my mom's librarian wages (my dad hasn't had a job in over 20 years - his choice
. I ended up in yearbook since I already had a decent 35mm camera and then girl scouts for a whopping $25/year, and my sister ended up hanging out with unsavory people and then doing a year abroad her junior year. I couldn't count all the "scholarships" we got for summer camps and VBS and so on... but we still were $200 over the yearly income limit for reduced hot lunches.


A friend of mine really wanted to do football or soccer, but he couldn't because it cost too much and even though his parents were both professors at the college, there just wasn't any wiggle room in their budget. He even had to do extra stuff around the house or convince them to help rent a tux for prom when we went together one year. We also always had to pay for field trips, too. $10-$40/pop, mostly to pay for the bus/gas and entry to the bowling alley or county fair or the observatory or milk creamery.
 
#24 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by senmom View Post
You have the gov't to thank for this. They have cut the $$ they give to the school districts, so they pass it in to the families. Our district does have a mandate, that is someone has a financial hardship, they can still participate at free or greatly reduced fees.
You do realize that money from "the government" comes out of somebody's pocket, right? It makes a lot more sense to me to have families pay for their child's extra activities/classes than to raise taxes yet again. I can't even imagine how much money we'll pay in school taxes over the next 20 years, and our kids will never go to a public school.

And if a family can't afford to pay for an extra activity, well, either the kid needs to find a way to work for the money or they can't do the activity. Such is life. If activity fees are ridiculous, get other parents together and figure out a way to get the fees reduced or hold fund raisers.
 
#25 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by caedmyn View Post
You do realize that money from "the government" comes out of somebody's pocket, right? It makes a lot more sense to me to have families pay for their child's extra activities/classes than to raise taxes yet again. I can't even imagine how much money we'll pay in school taxes over the next 20 years, and our kids will never go to a public school.

And if a family can't afford to pay for an extra activity, well, either the kid needs to find a way to work for the money or they can't do the activity. Such is life. If activity fees are ridiculous, get other parents together and figure out a way to get the fees reduced or hold fund raisers.
Well as a person who grew up NEVER being able to participate in ANYTHING because my family had very limited resources, your attitude comes across as very cold and unsympathetic. Families who are struggling to make ends meet need to have opportunities as well.

Why are wealthy kids the only ones who deserve to play sports or participate in foreign exchange programs etc etc....??

And if everyone paid their fair share of taxes (esp large corporations...don't EVEN get me started...)There would be PLENTY of money to fund schools and many other community resources as well. But the folks making the decisions don't want it that way.
So we bicker amongst ourselves and make judgments about how that kid who is being raised by a poor single parent doesn't really deserve to play sports...*sigh*...such is life... (because it's not YOUR kid!)

.
 
#26 ·
Again- you have to look at how schools are funded in your area. Most are through property taxes. Wouldn't matter how much corporations pay- it wouldn't help schools necessarily. Ours are through sales taxes- which is good and bad. Everyone pays sales tax, but the revenue rises and falls with the economy. Luckily, our economy is BOOMING so we have lots of revenue right now.

I do think there should be help for kids whose families can't afford the fees. We get monies from corporations in the area and use these funds for exactly this type of thing. We also use it for school supplies for kids who can't afford them. I would much prefer this direct type of donation from company to school- more money directly impacts the students and politicians don't get their hands on the money.
 
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