Dear editor, school board and community members:
For illustrative purposes only | iStock / Getty Images Plus, St. George News
I am writing to express my deep concern about the increasingly outrageous fees that parents are being charged to send their children to public schools. Public education is the cornerstone of our society, designed to provide every child with an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. I am writing to bring attention to a pressing issue that affects countless families in our community — the burden of school fees.
The cost of education is rising, and for many average-income families like mine, it has become a significant financial hardship. Public schools were established to ensure that education is accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. However, it is disheartening to witness the rising costs associated with public education.
The financial strain on parents is becoming overwhelming. I am not talking about the usual school supplies, extracurricular activities, and transportation. Now as an added burden, public schools charge a class fee for almost all classes, including required courses like math and science.
This year alone, my three children’s “class fees,” activity fees and lab fees, amounted to over $380. For one high school biology class, I am expected to pay a $20 class fee on top of a $25 lab fee. This course is a required high school science course. I am still required to provide my children with the basic necessary tools like notebooks, paper, pens, calculators, markers, etc. And by the way, what the heck is an activity fee? It’s another separate charge that they charge for our kids to get a free education.
For illustrative purposes only | iStock / Getty Images Plus, St. George News
The constant increase of these school fees puts an enormous strain on families. I’d like to clarify that none of my kids are even in sports or anything outside of regular schooling. This is just bare bones, send your kids to school, fees.
These fees disproportionately affect the average-to-low income family, making it difficult for them to provide their children with a quality education. Education should be the great equalizer, not a source of financial hardship. The fee waivers for Washington County School District is based on income.
You have to qualify for welfare (food stamps) to get these fees waived. The average Joe who falls just above this marker, unfortunately, has no say in paying these expenses. The schools refuse to give kids ID cards, yearbooks and even a diploma until the fees are paid.
In fact, it is clearly stated in an email after I had not paid the fees that these fees would follow my sixth grader all the way through high school. I’m assuming that by the time she reaches senior year, I’ll owe close to $1,000, just for her, in fees.
Members of the Washington County School District Board of Education discuss new policies and hear updates at the regular meeting of the board, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News
Furthermore, public schools are funded through taxpayers’ money, and these additional fees create a sense of double taxation. It is unjust for parents to pay taxes to support public education and then be burdened with additional costs that can be unaffordable for many.
School supplies are a whole separate issue as the growing number of required supplies increases each year. After buying hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies for my children this year, I stood behind a teacher from a local school who was returning a bag of school supplies that she didn’t need, given to her by parents.
Hopefully, the teacher put the money that was given back to her on a gift card back into her classroom, but we will never know. Thanks, Walmart, for allowing people to return items that they did not personally purchase, without a receipt. It’s hard enough just buying a few outfits, a pair of shoes, and backpacks for 3-4v school-aged kids, let alone all the other required supplies, that unknowingly are just being returned for gift cards.
Maybe the fees should cover all these extra school supplies outside of a pencil and a few notebooks. After all, the law does say I have to send my kids to school, but it doesn’t say I have to send them with money. I urge our board and policymakers to reconsider the fee structures in public schools, prioritize the removal of unnecessary financial barriers, and ensure that the promise of equal opportunity through education remains at the heart of our public school system.
Sincerely,
A mom of 5 just trying to get by.
Submitted by KAIREE LUCIENTES, St. George.
Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.
Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.