How about school fees?

People talk about free public education....

The fees for books, computers, and planners add up...

I'm staring at close to $100 total for one 1st grader and 5th grader, in fees.

 

May be better to debate this in its own thread.

 

You are correct on this one. I paid almost $200 for a high school junior to attend a public school. The AP classes were $40 each. Computer lab was extra. The list goes on and on. When I questioned the person answering the phone about the fee she told me some families owed over $600 and I was lucky. My question is this, how can a family with 3 teenager's in HS at the same time afford this?

You are correct on this one. I paid almost $200 for a high school junior to attend a public school. The AP classes were $40 each. Computer lab was extra. The list goes on and on. When I questioned the person answering the phone about the fee she told me some families owed over $600 and I was lucky. My question is this, how can a family with 3 teenager's in HS at the same time afford this?

 

Most schools allow the families that do not have the funds immediately to make payments on their fees.

I was told the fee's had to be paid before you could pick up the student's schedule. I'm sure school district's would work with the parent's if necessary. Otherwise parents would have to worry about answering to the court for their child not attending school.

I was told the fee's had to be paid before you could pick up the student's schedule. I'm sure school district's would work with the parent's if necessary. Otherwise parents would have to worry about answering to the court for their child not attending school.

 

I guess I can only speak for my own school when I make that statement. However, your child cannot be denied a schedule on the day that school begins. I would imagine that you just can't pick it up early without paying your fees.

 

One thing that our school does is make sure that the fees are paid before students attend prom at the end of April. If fees aren't paid, you do not get to attend this extracurricular event. It is amazing how many of those fees get paid mid-April!

I have loaned out pencils before.

Asked for a shoe as collateral.

Amazingly, I get my pencil back before that student leaves the room without their shoe.

 

Cell phones are even better. Or Ipods.

 

Amazing as it may seem, because of that policy I have never once lost a calculator, textbook, stapler in over 10 years of teaching. Not to mention they know full well I'll show up and their front door to collect it if they take it. :lol:

You are correct on this one. I paid almost $200 for a high school junior to attend a public school. The AP classes were $40 each. Computer lab was extra. The list goes on and on. When I questioned the person answering the phone about the fee she told me some families owed over $600 and I was lucky. My question is this, how can a family with 3 teenager's in HS at the same time afford this?

 

Just wait until they get to college....:scared:

In my case, I guess that the school can supply them through my classroom funds. However, I would have to cut back on the other supplies that aren't so simple and inexpensive for parents to purchase, such as nitric acid, beakers and sodium hydroxide. I just buy the pens and board markers on my own. If I bought one pack of these a week, that would be an extra $5 on top of my weekly expenditures at Wal-mart.

 

Come to think of it, I don't need many dry erase markers anymore. I now have a laptop computer, LCD projector and a Smartboard that has interactive pens that are used for the board. My school also purchased a mobile computer lab unit with two carts and 40 laptops. I would venture to say that these things weren't included back when your parents paid school taxes back when you were a kid. They weren't when I was. Now, if you don't have these things, you are well behind in the technological era.

 

And I'd be willing to venture that they didn't have on demand writing pieces to submit either. Or web based lessons or exercises, state mandated tests to study for, access to a computer throughout the school day, a need for flash drives to save on demand pieces, the list could go on and on.

 

I'm not justifying the fact that teachers are not provided for by the school district, simply pointing out that more times than not, the money is being used for the child's education.

 

If you really want to be up in arms you should ask how current the textbooks are for your child's classes and how much money is allocated to make sure that each student has the most up to date version available. Many times, due to a departments budget, there aren't enough books for everyone, or only one set for a whole days worth of classes.

Why? You understand that even though the teacher uses them, that the benefit is for the students? I am sure he/she uses the dry erase markers for teaching purposes on the white board - which benefits the students. I am sure he/she uses the pens to grade papers - which benefits the students.

 

With that being said, I can also add both of these things to the list of things that I buy out of my own pocket as a teacher, along with printer cartridges for my computer.

 

I also bought these things on my own, with no regret. But to ask the students to buy these even though they will be using them just seems a little wrong. I will go on to say that the school should be buying a lot more than they do.

And I'd be willing to venture that they didn't have on demand writing pieces to submit either. Or web based lessons or exercises, state mandated tests to study for, access to a computer throughout the school day, a need for flash drives to save on demand pieces, the list could go on and on.

 

I'm not justifying the fact that teachers are not provided for by the school district, simply pointing out that more times than not, the money is being used for the child's education.

 

If you really want to be up in arms you should ask how current the textbooks are for your child's classes and how much money is allocated to make sure that each student has the most up to date version available. Many times, due to a departments budget, there aren't enough books for everyone, or only one set for a whole days worth of classes.

 

I can't complain about my district and textbooks. Science just adopted textbooks this year. My department requested that just classroom sets be purchased, by our SBDMC voted that they wanted one for each student. They have never skimped on books at my school.

Just wait until they get to college....:scared:

 

They are already there

Edited August 2, 200818 yr by GaViking

I can't complain about my district and textbooks. Science just adopted textbooks this year. My department requested that just classroom sets be purchased, by our SBDMC voted that they wanted one for each student. They have never skimped on books at my school.

 

Definately not like that everywhere, but you knew that. Any particular reason that you wanted just a classroom set (other than to save money?)?

Teachers buy textbooks they think will benefit the students (foreign language books for example) out of their own pocket. The school may or may not have the funds to reimburse the teachers. The learning experience for the students is what counts.

Just wait until they get to college....:scared:

 

I agree! As posted before I thought I paid outrageous prices for things, though I understood why. Kind of reminds me of the old days when I thought.......as soon as my kids are out of diapers and formula I will save SOOOO much money! It is all relative and the relatives keep getting bigger, more needy, and more hungry!

 

 

With school supplies, at least you know EXACTLY where your money is going.....college.....to quote my kids....OMG!

Definately not like that everywhere, but you knew that. Any particular reason that you wanted just a classroom set (other than to save money?)?

 

We didn't recommend classroom sets for all classes. There are a few classes in which the students tend to "forget" their books in their lockers frequently and ones that tend to lose them, also. We thought that classroom sets would help this. Students could still check a book out overnight, if they needed it.