How much do you pay in school fees

**kabin63** · 07-28-2006, 12:15 PM

I registered my DD at school this week. She does attend public school, so, no tuition here, but I was a little surpirised. Her book fees are $137.95. It's just basic classes.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 07-28-2006, 12:31 PM

Here in Manatee County, Florida we pay most of our school costs in gas tax. An extra .05 per gallon. But this is to fund everything from new buildings, repairs, etc. The cost of uniforms for elem. school kids is the parents responsibility. Anything extra like sports, music, art its a pay as you go thing.
DD brought home paperwork for the cheerleading squad its $200.00 plus uniforms, etc. She won't be doing that this year. As for books, we don't have enough school books for each child to have their own so books never leave the classroom. All work is done in class or off handout sheets.
Its sad because in our area new schools come without playground equipment, stadiums, tracks,books in the libaray. All these things have to be purchased by the PTA's. Fortunatly many of our large corperations like Florida power and light and Brighthouse step forward and do some donation. Your new school may get a playground built by the Power Guys or the basic reference books in your libaray may come from a grant from Budwieser.
Its a shame that we spend billions on guns, tanks and killing machines and have to hold a bake sale to by a swingset or dictionary.

Laurie in Bradenton (Standing on her Soapbox Spitting into the Wind)

**YankeeMom** · 07-28-2006, 01:01 PM

Public school here too.
We don't have ANY school fees. In fact, we rarely have to pay for field trips even. I'm always boggled at those who have to pay "book fees". What happened to free education? And what about those families who can't afford book fees? I know I would go broke having to pay close to $1000 for the four of my kids' book fees!

**MOMMYDEAREST** · 07-28-2006, 03:12 PM

private school for 3 kids is $4,950.00!!!!!!!!! can anyone beat that.......lol???? and my kids will be attending the private school!!!

**bevjean** · 07-28-2006, 03:16 PM

Our local school doesn't have any book fees or anything like that. They just nickle and dime you to death throughout the school year.

**Cele** · 07-28-2006, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by YankeeMom

What happened to free education?

It never existed. Trick question: Where is education first mentioned in the Constitution? Answer: It isn't. That's how it ended up as a States' Rights issue...and that's why we have 50 different sets of laws and procedures.

**YankeeMom** · 07-28-2006, 04:41 PM

I don't mean to take this off in another direction, but how is it (and this is not an argumentative question, I truly do not know) that children with disabilities have "a right to free public education" (according to the IDEA)but a regular joe blow child doesn't have the right to it? Is it just semantics? The "right to have it" vs the "availability of it"?

**Missy** · 07-28-2006, 04:42 PM

no fees here. I homeschool.

**i.m.cheap** · 07-28-2006, 04:49 PM

No fees for this homeschooling family either. If we could afford it, I might send dd to a private school here in Wichita, The Independent School. The tuition for grades 1-5 is $7,000 a year. Middle and high school is even higher.

**Missy** · 07-28-2006, 04:56 PM

I should add that we get taxed a D-11 (local school district) tax in our property taxes. last year it was over 500.00. and my kids don't attend the schools!

**kabin63** · 07-28-2006, 05:10 PM

I thought I would open this can of worms mainly because of government cutting funds to schools, therefore cutting beneficial programs, yet our fees go up. What I mean by that is that not all children do well in a cookie cutter enviorment, which BTW I believe schools have become. Many children are gifted in the arts and many of these programs are suffering or being tossed because of the push for math and science. Now that's ok if your kid happens to be geared for those type of subjects, but for those who are more creatively inclined through art are falling through the cracks. (Do I sound like I am standing on a soap box?) Anyway, I was just wondering what it's like in other places for schooling. I know the private schools here cost about as much as mommy said she pays. I also happen to think that one of the places our money should be spent is in the education department.

**baxjul** · 07-28-2006, 05:16 PM

We don't pay anything above donations for dd's class. We do have to buy her supplies, but they are things that you can get at the dollar store. The school sells tee shirts and things also to help with costs.

**AmyBoz** · 07-28-2006, 07:58 PM

No school fees here. We pay through property taxes.

**Dixie** · 07-28-2006, 08:15 PM

My youngest child graduated last May, but I never paid any fees for any of my four children.

**miss_thrifty** · 07-28-2006, 08:27 PM

we are taxed to death on everything from our goverment in Canada, so the only schooll fees are for the agenda, use of lockers, extra curriculmn, science fairs, and lots of fun raising for differnt things(band, sports, school payes half field trips, we pay the other half)