Public Schools Charge Kids for Basics, Frills

By STEPHANIE SIMON

MEDINA, Ohio—Karen Dombi was thrilled when her three oldest children were picked for student government this year—not because she envisioned careers in politics, but because it was one of the few programs at their public high school that didn't charge kids to participate.

Medina City Schools are in deep financial trouble. To save their vaunted athletic and music programs, the district has enacted a policy that no one in the administration feels good about: Pay to play. WSJ's Stephanie Simon reports from Medina, Ohio.

Budget shortfalls have prompted Medina Senior High to impose fees on students who enroll in many academic classes and extracurricular activities. The Dombis had to pay to register their children for basic courses such as Spanish I and Earth Sciences, to get them into graded electives such as band, and to allow them to run cross-country and track. The family's total tab for a year of public education: $4,446.50.

<snip>

Public schools across the country, struggling with cuts in state funding, rising personnel costs and lower tax revenues, are shifting costs to students and their parents by imposing or boosting fees for everything from enrolling in honors English to riding the bus.

<snip>

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576313572363698678.html

To get rid of class mobility. Charging for Honors classes? There can be no other purpose.
Taxes must be raised on the wealthy at the local, state and federal levels-period.

Where do they think the term "free public schooling" come from, along with the requirement that all children are to attend school until in most places they are 16 years old. Taxes historically have been the means to provide the free public schooling and with proper management, should still be.

In the 1970s a couple took the school system to court in Michigan on the premise that it is free public schooling...that was when parents across the state were being charged for school books, work books and a myriad of other charges. They won the class action suit and all the schools had to come up with a way to provide what they should have been providing with the taxes.

The reason I remember is because I have 4 children and had 3 in grade school at the time and was totally relieved at the court decision. It was then costing over $100. to start them in school at the beginning of the year. My husband was making pretty good wages at $90 per week, but it wasn't easy to afford the cost.

My parents had to pay a significant part of my expense related to debate in High School in 1981. The same was not expected of the sports teams. The fee for the AP test makes sense because this is for college credit. In our school system no grade is associaed with the test - you don't have to take if you don't want to. A key quote from the article is as follows:

The proliferation of fees comes at a time when the cost of public education has been soaring. After adjusting for inflation, average spending per pupil has increased 44% over the past two decades, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

No way should additional charges be made for core courses including the higher level courses. Except for science materials I don't understand why this would be the case anyway.

The thing I can't understand is why everything costs so much. I can go to Best Buy and buy a desktop computer that does everything I could every need for $300. I got to think that a large purchaser like a school system can beat that price. Software should be essentially free between open source and the vendors desire to get students hooked on a particular software. We should have open source textbooks in the classrooms for a great many subjects. What has happened in our state is that the cost per pupil has increased faster than incomes in the state (actually significantly faster). To this point it has been handled by reducing support for post secondary funding. If anything fed funding has also increased over that time. Our top marginal rate is 9% on income. We have a 7% sales tax. Our property taxes are also significantly higher than a state like Tennessee.

Nobody could have imagined how bad it has become.

This is related to the declining tax base because jobs have been outsourced and war spending is insane!

that my daughter attends covered the $85 for each AP exam for every kid taking AP courses this year. My daughter took 5 APs this year, and many of her friends took a similar AP load. Not everyone takes AP classes, but her graduating class is approximately 400. I would say maybe 1/3 took at least 1 AP course. As for paying for regular classes, we paid for photography ($140) per semester (which was the only way the would offer the course is if parents paid) and $80 Orchestra dues (to add to the music kitty). We actually spent more on regular classes when she went to the public charter school in middle school. Though the education was very good, they nickel and dimed you on pretty much a weekly basis. If you didn't have the money, they encouraged 'fund raising' ventures.

How many parents in the Medina City School District went full teabag last November...

what about the families who do not have the means?! is it just a great big fuck you to them??

but the school can't force you to pay them. It's an extra tax on those who can afford it and are too embarassed to ask for a waiver.