[spero]

DS (15-1/2) rec'd a letter from his high school a few weeks ago, stating that he never turned in his Spanish book at the end of the year. He's certain he did, and we can't locate it here at home, but who knows.

The school wants $48.50 to replace the book.

I started thinking about the insane amount of tax dollars we pay to this ever-expanding school district, and I wondered - why should I have to shell out another fifty bucks for a book that THEY say is lost? Shouldn't my tax dollars cover this sort of thing?

I mean - I could see, if this was a chronic problem with my kid, that I would need to do something about it. But one (supposedly) lost book in ten years?

 

[bu's mama]

As a former teacher, there are a couple of options...the students should have filled out book cards when they received the books & gotten it back when it was turned in. Did that happen? Also, he can get the book number & go through the book room & find the book.

Also 48.50 seems like a lot, but textbooks are usually $75 & up.

 

[lisalou]

Yes, you should have to pay for it or prove you returned it. I was always told at the beginning of every school year my text books were my responsibility and if I lost it, I'd have to pay for it's replacement.

Your tax dollars probably barely cover the school budget. Your tax dollars cover him getting the book in the first place and any wear and tear he doest to it. And $48.50 is pretty cheap for a textbook wait til he goes to college.

 

[momto l&a]

How can a person prove that they turned in a book

:

 

[bu's mama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momto l&a How can a person prove that they turned in a book :

In both the schools that I've taught in and attended, the student would fill out a book card, including the book id number. When they handed the book in, they'd get the card back...either tear it up or keep it as a 'receipt'.

 

[A&A]

Have your son talk to the teacher at the start of the new school year. The teacher should be able to tell him the # of the book, and should be willing to let him look through the books for that #. If so, and if your son doesn't find the book, then yes, you should pay for it.

But if the teacher can't come up with the #, then you shouldn't have to pay for it. Make sure your son asks in a NICE tone of voice when talking to the teacher. (But be aware that some schools are now sending fines to collection agencies.)

And keep in mind that you shouldn't have to pay for a replacement book unless he lost a brand new book. If he lost an old book, then the fine should only be a fraction of a new book. Talk to the bookkeeper, as well, to find out if the fine assessed by the teacher was an appropriate amount.

 

[Ruthla]

I never filled out any special cards when I got books in public school (but then this was 20 years ago, so things may have changed. Boy I feel old all of a sudden!!) My thinking is that if your teenager lost the book, he should be the one to pay for the replacement.

 

[bu's mama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A&A ...And keep in mind that you shouldn't have to pay for a replacement book unless he lost a brand new book. If he lost an old book, then the fine should only be a fraction of a new book. Talk to the bookkeeper, as well, to find out if the fine assessed by the teacher was an appropriate amount.

But the book does have to be replaced so the replacement value is usually what is charged.

 

[Starr]

Yes if he lost it or it was damaged then you are responisble fore paying it back. I would have him check with the teacher and see how she kept track, different school handle it differently but regardless of your tax dollars it was your sons responsibility and he needs to take care of it.

 

[aisraeltax]

i ditto what others say re: the book #, etc. but i really dont think we shoudl have to prove we turned in a book if a procedure isnt in place.
but i pay 5 figures a year in r/e taxes to live in my district. that darn well better pay for my son's schooling, b/c thats why i live in my district.

 

[4 in 2005]

Yep every school I went to had a way to show if I turned in my book or not. Some had lists, some had cards etc.

I have to admit if there were no way to prove it in place I would fight paying. However if there were a way, I would pay it and then my son would pay me back, esp since he is almost 16.

The only time my mom said she would not make me pay her back for a lost book was when I had witnesses my mom trusted that my book was stolen. Well whoever took my book tried to pass it off as there to turn it in and I got credit for turning in the book. Lucky me.

 

[ChristyM26]

Most teachers do keep records of these things )otherwise she'd have little ground to stand on saying it was your son's book-how else would she know if she had no record?) Typically the replacment charge is what the student has to pay and since used textbooks are not what the textbook companies sell it has to be replaced new.

Also, in my school if you don't pay for the book the student loses privledges (i.e. they get no report card and they can't participate in graduation in any way. they even hold the diploma). I saw a couple of kids this year having to pay for books that they lost as freshmen but couldn't walk in graduation until they paid for it.

 

[lisalou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aisraeltax but i pay 5 figures a year in r/e taxes to live in my district. that darn well better pay for my son's schooling, b/c thats why i live in my district.

Curious, where do you live that you pay over $10K/year in RE taxes?

 

[talk de jour]

Yes, you do. As far as I remember, there's a very regimented process in place for book collection - bring up the book to the teacher, show them the number, they check the number off the list as long as it matches his original number.

Also - books cost A LOT of money. Did you ever attend college? I've paid twice that for softback workbooks.

 

[CarrieMF]

When I was in school when we got our textbooks it was marked off on a sheet. Then at the end of the year when we handed them in if it was the teacher wanting them back the teacher marked off which students handed the books back. Sometimes we took all the books the teachers hadn't asked back for and we would have to stand in line with our books at a table and hand them in to a group of teachers and they'd mark them off the chart. I do not remember if the books had numbers or anything, I don't think they did. We did the same thing with our locker locks, though those had numbers.

If we didn't have a book or lock then we were responsible for paying for it.

 

[Eman'smom]

When I taught, the students and I filled out a sheet with the book number, I kept a copy and gave a copy to the office, check with the school/teacher, if the book isn't there (they should all be numbered) then yes you have to pay.

 

[RubyWild]

I have the same problem at the library. They don't give a receipt when you return a book and yet sometimes they say that I did not return a book when I did. I then have to haul myself into the library and locate the book on the shelf or put a search request in. It's very frustrating, but an otherwise very good library.

 

[Charles Baudelaire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skellbelle DS (15-1/2) rec'd a letter from his high school a few weeks ago, stating that he never turned in his Spanish book at the end of the year. He's certain he did, and we can't locate it here at home, but who knows. The school wants $48.50 to replace the book. I started thinking about the insane amount of tax dollars we pay to this ever-expanding school district, and I wondered - why should I have to shell out another fifty bucks for a book that THEY say is lost? Shouldn't my tax dollars cover this sort of thing? I mean - I could see, if this was a chronic problem with my kid, that I would need to do something about it. But one (supposedly) lost book in ten years?

Here's what I would do:

1. Ask the teacher to see the book card your son probably filled out for the book at the end of the year.
2. If she can't find it, then I'd say the burden's on her.

 

[PajamaMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisalou Curious, where do you live that you pay over $10K/year in RE taxes?

I'm not the OP but that doesn't sound outrageous to me...I live in house that's only worth about $300k and our taxes are over half that. If the op lives in a place where home values are high then I would not be surprised at ALL to see a 10k tax bill.

:

 

[MsElle07]

Yes, he should have to pay for it. Your tax dollars BARELY cover the books they have -- most schools generally don't have the funds to replace potentially hundreds of lost books each year. And the pp's are right -- most high school texts are more than $65.

Have him ask nicely for the book number and then ask the teacher if he can look through the books to try and find it.