<p>Never let anyone tell you public education is “free”.
I don’t mind volunteering at my daughters school, I enjoy it.
I don’t mind giving money for material, textbooks, copy paper…
I am starting to chafe a bit at the fees to participate in sports and to buy a yearbook however. While I am attending an auction this weekend that benefits the senior class, by minimizing graduation costs for all students, I am surprised to learn that it is $40 to buy an ASB sticker to participate in a sport & $60 for an annual. There doesn’t seem to be a mechanism in place to reduce costs for sports except for the families that are practically living in Tent City, and no allowances for yearbooks.
I already bought my daughter a combo at beginning of year for $75, but there have been years when that would have been a lot of money. A friend wants to join a team, but doesn’t have the money to put toward costs, ( small business trying to keep afloat) and I want to sponsor her without her knowing, but damm, it sure makes me frustrated for all the kids who can’t play cause they don’t have $40.
I imagine this may be lower than what other schools charge, I know that our girls basketball team, who just beat the #2 team in the country last weekend, didn’t even have school sweats or sports bags until we made a plea to the community. But still $40 is more that we make an hour before taxes and is considerably more than someone making minimum wage could afford.
What do other districts/schools charge to particpate in programs?</p>
<p>Different sports charge different rates. However the pta has a line item in the budget that no child is denied the opportunity to participate because they cannot afford the fee, sothey are asked to contribute what they can and ususally the PTA will pick up the slack.</p>
<p>Our county school system charges a $20 per year activity fee and yearbooks cost $60 and (unlike when I went to h.s.) the kids buy the yearbook every year. The cost of the yearbook is defrayed by ads that students and parents buy. Not ads for their businesses, mind you, but ads with baby pictures saying “What a great kid you are, have a wonderful life.” Groups of friends and sports teams and clubs buy ads for their seniors. It gets incredibly expensive and is another way that makes the less affluent to feel out of it. These ads range from $40 to $250!! </p>
<p>Our senior classes raise huge amounts of money to have nice proms and fancy graduations. Our school’s seniors usually rent out D.A.R Constitution hall for $10,000 so they can accommodate everyone. Less affluent schools hold their graduations in the football stadiums and pray that it doesn’t rain. Prom tickets range from $20 to $75 per student in this county, depending on where they hold it and how much money they raise to subsidize it.</p>
<p>Our small town excellent PHS initiated an athletic activity fee for the first time this year. $120/student/year no matter how many sports played. Simply had to do it for budgetary considerations. I think there was a family maximum (we only have one). There are, of course, scholarships/waivers and I’m told it hasn’t involved stigma, etc.</p>
<p>Of course, boosters for each sport also play a critical fund-raising role. Ditto other EC’s (music boosters, etc.) Just seems a fact of life in our budget-constrained times.</p>
<p>For a laugh, have you looked at the kind of things Jostens is “offering” when you go to order the cap and gown (we pay for that, too, although it’s a “nominal” $20). My favorite was the Parent Appreciation Plaque which I’m sure my S must have ordered for me (in the upgraded 14karat gold version, I hope). LOL if it weren’t so sad.</p>
<p>We also have the Parting Thoughts part of yearbook where parents pay for space for baby/growing up photos and thoughts. This is a favorite part of yearbook, at least for us parents. Kids pay $50 and up for yearbook depending on what add-ons they go for.</p>
<p>Everyone in our town had a good laugh over the “parent appreciation plaques” too.</p>
<p>Did you buy separate ones for each P or you planning to give a joint one to M/D?</p>
<p>* I * want a plaque!</p>
<p>I have gotten a volleyball parent appreciation magnet from my daughters middle school coach- but it isn’t the same 
My older daughter didn’t have to wear cap and gown, the girls wore formalish dresses and the boys wore suits/nice shirts & pants/tux
funny story- one of the boys was going to wear a tux but didn’t go get fitted. THis boy also liked to wear saggy baggy pants. His mother- being helpful measured the pants in his closet to get the right size for the tuxedo, not realizing that she was setting him up for saggy baggy tuxedo pants!</p>