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| Legality of school fees gets board's attention |
By: Destiny Booze
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Posted: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 2:18 pm
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School fees are suddenly under a microscope after Roanoke County recently announced that it has dropped or reduced most of its school fees for the upcoming year.
The decision was made secondary to a study done by the JustChildren Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville. The results of the study deemed many school fees in violation of the Virginia Constitution.
“Fees for instruction, materials and services that are required for students to benefit from instruction during the school day are and always have been unlawful. I think Roanoke County should be commended for addressing the issue of school fees head on. I hope other school divisions across the state follow their lead,” Angelica Ciolfi, Legal Aid Justice Center attorney, said.
In response to the study, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) conducted a survey concerning school fees statewide. The results showed that 64 out of the 83 school divisions that responded to the survey charged fees.
Only 20 reported having a policy for students and families with financial hardships, and only nine answered that they inform parents of that policy. No action has yet been taken by the VDOE concerning this survey, yet possible policy amendments will be discussed in its next meeting.
Botetourt County answered yes on the survey to having fees and yes to having a schedule of fees and charges.
It answered no to having a policy for students and families with financial hardships.
Still, schools step up to the plate to assist any parent who is financially unable to pay the fess, according to John Busher, Botetourt's assistant school superintendent. Thus far, the county has not changed any of its policies concerning fees.
“We review our fees on an annual basis. The department of ed has never to my knowledge offered guidance regarding fees. We appreciate them looking into this,” Busher said.
Concerning the state survey, Busher remarked, “We are taking a wait-and-see approach to see what the state mandates.”
Sisters Amanda Talbott and Kayla Wills of Buchanan shared their experiences with fees in the school system. Talbott told the School Board she will have two children in school next year, one in findergarten and one in second grade.
As a stay-at-home mom, Talbott is budgeted for a one-income household. She is especially concerned by the supply list for the upcoming school year. She estimated that it cost her approximately $40 to $45 in school supplies for her oldest child this year. She knows her costs will double with another child entering the school system.
“Both of them need a pretty long list,” she said. “It gets tough, especially if you only have one parent working outside the home. It adds up.”
The elementary school supply lists for next year include things such as book bags, pencils, scissors, glue and glue sticks, tissues, pocket folders, crayons, head phones, binders and some money.
Many of those supplies will need to be replenished every six weeks. Other possible expenditures for parents include lunch costs, paper fees, field trips, school fund-raisers and student pictures.
Wills, 18, graduated from James River High School this year. She has a unique perspective and understanding of this issue because she went to a Roanoke County school for her sophomore and junior years.
When comparing her expenses between the two schools, she said that Roanoke County schools were much more expensive. “It was outrageous at Cave Springs. It cost a lot more there,” she said.
However, expenses really escalated for Wills her junior and senior years at both schools, she explained.
She spent money on senior pictures, cap and gown, announcements, class ring, prom dress, parking fees, paper fees and her yearbook. “My class ring was around $400,” she said.
The Virginia Constitution guarantees a free public education, yet allows fees that are non-academic or fees that are involved with optional activities. Most of the fees may not be very large dollar amounts, yet in an economy on a downfall and gasoline prices stretching everyone thin, even the small costs add up. Families with financial hardships are particularly burdened.
Exactly what the term free education entitles will be under analysis by the VDOE for certain. |
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