This year, our school district is charging activity fees for its students. This means that if any students want to participate in after school sports or other activities, they must first pay a fee. The amount of the fee depends on the child’s level in school. So, an elementary student who wants to participate in a school activity must pay $25, a middle school student must pay $50, and a high school student must pay $75 per year. Granted, these aren’t astronomical fees, and this particular fee gives a free pass to all activities, but they aren’t the only fees either. Each individual activity also requires additional fees.
For example, if my son wants to participate in a special chorus this year, we must pay the $50 fee plus an additional $100 fee that the chorus requires. When you consider that I have three children, all in school, and each child wants to do multiple activities, the fees really start to add up.
To all of those fees, we also have multiple fund raisers, contributions to class baskets, donations for teacher appreciation days (plus gifts), the fall fair, the spring fair, the book fair, the Christmas craft store, market day once a month and more.
I’m not sure how the other parents do it. If all of the expected contributions were met, we are talking close to the thousand dollar range per year. Schools should be supported, and I feel guilty that we can’t keep up.
I’m not sure what you own school experience was, but I don’t remember having all of these fees when I was growing up. There was one annual fundraiser that consisted of selling either chocolate or cards, and some pretty basic school supplies.
Of course, the school experience is a little more complicated for my kids. They have smart boards and computers in the classroom, air conditioning, and a new playground. To balance it, they also have larger class sizes and fewer teachers.
What do you think? Are school and activity fees increasing?
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