Fees in "public" education

Remember back when public education was free in America? As a Baby Boomer I do. Well, those days it seems are long gone. It now appears the majority of citizens are resistant to paying taxes for what used to be perceived as our common good.  An article, "Public schools charge kids for basics, frills", in the Wall Street Journal, by Stephanie Simon, notes just how expensive it can be to have a child in the public schools.  Ms. Simon cited how one Ohio family paid nearly $4,500 in fees for classes and school activities for their three children enrolled in the public school. Welcome to the world of no new taxes and increased fees!

As noted in an early blog entry, Extracurricular activity fees in schools, our family discovered a plethora of  activity fees for students attending our public school. All of these activities were free back when Baby Boomers, such as myself, went through public school. I shamefully have to admit that the Baby Boomer generation may be the most affluent, greedy and selfish generation in American history.

Growing gap between "haves" and "have-nots"

A friend of mine recently shared with me a disturbing graph that indicated a dramatic trend of stagnate, or decreasing wages, paired with a significant rise in corporate profits in the US over the past few decades.  In checking with him on the source of this information he put me on to the following video, "Austerity comes to America", by Richard D. Wolff, of a former professor at the University of Massachusetts.

Our society is becoming increasingly one of "haves" and "have-nots."  I recently witnessed the dramatic difference money has in the area of education when I attended a play at The Blake School.  There was an elaborate stage, a multitude of costumes for the actors, along with a beautiful program with a glossy color cover.  The kids were all well coached by vocal and acting coaches.  A near capacity crowd filled the auditorium.

This experience was in stark contrast to a play I went to at a St. Paul public high school a few years back at Highland Park.  Their play had a sparse set, consisting of a couch, floor lamp and throw carpet.  The was very little in the way of costumes, and only a simple one page black and white program.  Most disturbingly, fewer than a couple of dozen parents/students were in attendance.

Did  you know that even to be in a school play these days often kids are required to pay a fee?  At our daughter's school, Armstrong, located in the fairly affluent suburb of Plymouth, it costs $110 for the privilege to be in an extracurricular activity (play, debate, etc.)

Ironically, the play we watched at The Blake School was "The Little Shop of Horrors."  It portrays how a kind, humble, hard working young man is literally consumed by the man eating plant he feeds. This plant promises him riches and fame.  It seems were now living in "The Big Country of Horrors", and most of the poor and middle class are being consumed by a greedy few, eager to make a fast buck, who seem willing to bleed others dry for their financial gain.

An editorial in today's Star Tribune, "I can believe in Obama no more" by Myles Spicer notes that though it appeared that President Obama was going to be a strong proponent of justice issues in our nation and around the world, this doesn't appear to be happening as promised.  I will however continue to pray for and support the president in his most challenging leadership of our nation.

Extracurricular activity fees in schools

Did you know now for students to simply participate in a High School extracurricular activity it commonly requires a significant fee? In addition to athletics and drivers education, even debate and the school play require fees for participation at many of our public schools. At Armstrong High School, in Minnesota's School District 281, students must fork over $210 per sport. Fine arts activities require $110 to register for participation. To enroll a student into drivers education, now being run outside of the school system, it will cost students an additional $350 or more.

Fees from students and families are also commonly needed for equipment, optional training camps, etc. For students and parents the sound most associated with participation in school activities a big Cha Ching! Thankfully scholarship funds are available for students receiving free or reduced rate lunch. Armstrong has a family cap of $700 for student activities.

Back in the day, when I was going though Minneapolis' public school system, I thank God we didn't have fees, or likely I would never have joined the sports that I did. As it was, it took me some time to build up my courage and go out for Nordic skiing and track during my junior year of High School, and then adding cross country running my senior year. Being raised in a large family of modest means, the expectation of a fee would have been a big barrier for my participation. As it turns out, those high school sports have become life long activities for me.

Taxes for the common good is an unpopular concept these days. The current government trend is toward user fees, even though these fees hit those with the fewest means hardest. My heart grieves for the many kids who will not be going out for the school play, playing chess or a sport of their choice because of our fee system. Shame on us.

Pictures are from the Northwest Suburban Conference Nordic skate ski meet held December 8th at Elm Creek Park Reserve, in Maple Grove, MN.