Hot Topic (8/30) Should parents pay for extracurricular activities in school?
Hey parents. If your child wants to participate in after school activities this year, be prepared to open your checkbook! According to MSNBC, the bad economy has forced more and more school districts to ask parents to help foot the bill for extracurricular activities. For example, in Richmond Heights, Ohio, it’ll cost $350 if a student wants to participate in a sport, band, choir, or cheerleading. In Manchester, New Hampshire, schools are considering charging $50 to $100 per child for after school activities.
Robert Kanaby is director of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Although he doesn’t like the trend, it’s still better than the alternative – which is dumping athletics and other activities. After school activities are really good for kids: research suggests children who are active three to four times a week do better in school. Participating in sports teaches kids important life lessons - like team work, healthy competition, and that everyone gets better with practice. However, some people argue that although extracurricular activities are good for kids, “participation fees” can put coaches, students, and parents in tough situations.
For example, if it costs money to be on the basketball team, will parents get upset at the coach if their kid doesn’t get enough playing time? If a student knows they won’t get a lot of playing time, will they quit the sport altogether – so they’re not paying to sit on the bench all season? How will parents feel if they have to tell their child that they can’t be on the soccer team because Mom and Dad can’t afford it? However, some parents are working together in order to save extracurricular activities. For example, last year, parents in a school district in New York raised more than $650,000 for sports, music, and drama. The fundraising included endless bake sales, walk-a-thons, and jewelry sales.
Are your schools asking for you to pay for any of these programs? What are your thoughts?
The article fails to mention that Richmond Heights has absolutely no money for their schools. They're in the red by millions. I live in a suburb that borders them and there has been talks about absorbing their school system into the surrounding cities. They can't even afford to pay all their teachers.
This is what happens when BOEs misspend levy funds and then future levies don't get passed. It's sad but some school districts literally cannot afford to offer extracurriculars unless the parents pay for it.
It sucks.
You know, it's a shame that schools' budgets have been cut back so much that art, music & chorus are now considered extracurricular activities. Teachers have already given up raises and decent class sizes; do we expect these same teachers to volunteer MORE time and stay late after school without any sort of compensation? It's been over 20 years since I went to high school. A lot has changed. Our local HS charges students $75.00 a year for parking permits. That didn't happen back in the day. I wonder what that money goes to? What about activity fees...how much have they risen over the years? Didn't we always have to pay (maybe a nominal fee?) to participate in sports?
Unfortunately, if choir/band/art are no longer part of the curriculum, it stands to reason that someone needs to pay to keep teachers after school most weeknights. Last time I checked, teachers have families they have to feed too. If the state legislatures can't come up with the funds, then the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the parents whose children are reaping the benefits of after school instruction. I don't like this trend, but until we make sure states are adequately funding education...I don't see a way around it.
The money goes to raises for the superintendents and their staff. It's incredible how entitled these beaurocrats are. They push pencils part time and they feel as though they deserve 6 figure salaries yet the ratings of their district are rapidly falling.
Our superintendent just gave himself a $30k raise to his $125k salary and he's retired from another district, so he's double-dipping with a pension. He claims his family can't survive on his income.
Quoting conniecabe:
You know, it's a shame that schools' budgets have been cut back so much that art, music & chorus are now considered extracurricular activities. Teachers have already given up raises and decent class sizes; do we expect these same teachers to volunteer MORE time and stay late after school without any sort of compensation? It's been over 20 years since I went to high school. A lot has changed. Our local HS charges students $75.00 a year for parking permits. That didn't happen back in the day. I wonder what that money goes to? What about activity fees...how much have they risen over the years? Didn't we always have to pay (maybe a nominal fee?) to participate in sports?
Unfortunately, if choir/band/art are no longer part of the curriculum, it stands to reason that someone needs to pay to keep teachers after school most weeknights. Last time I checked, teachers have families they have to feed too. If the state legislatures can't come up with the funds, then the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the parents whose children are reaping the benefits of after school instruction. I don't like this trend, but until we make sure states are adequately funding education...I don't see a way around it.
I posted this topic in a debate group. I don't know of any school which has paid for all extra activities. I was a high school debater in the late 70s and we had certain fees we had to pay. In most districts, band students have to rent or purchase their instruments. Most dance and drill teams require the girls to pay toward their uniforms. I think the problem comes in excessive and hard to explain expenses. For example,. my son is in band as was his older brother. We have to pay a social fee, uniform rental fee, marching shoes, show shirt, metronome, pick up, gloves, etc. On top of that, we have to pay a meal fee to the band backer organization for meals provided for out of town games. The total due in August is around $250. The band goes on a spring trip every year. Once during a 4 year cycle, the band travels out of town and that expense is about $800. These fees are lower than choir (my older son was in both) One year, the choir director announced that the choir would be going to Austria the next year. We had a meeting in June and payments had to start in July ($315 MONTH) The total for the trip was over $2500. If you objected or said you could not afford the trip as I did, you were told that "anyone who really wants to go can find the money." I ended up in a conference with the superintendent because I don't see how this can be considered a mandatory trip and I don't see how a teacher can tell me I can afford something even after I explained that I am a single mom on disability. In our school and several others in the state, it seems like there is competition to see who can go on the most trips or put on the biggest productions. It caused lots of tears in my home over the years. Fundraising has become harder and harder to do because everyone is raising funds from churches, to little league,. scouts, to ROTC. Communities can only generate so much in funds for all of the activities. I am thankful that my son is a junior and I will be out of the loops soon. I don't think many districts can afford to pay for everything, but we really need to have a way for lower income kids to participate. I think extracurricular activities are fantastic, but the costs have gotten way out of hand.
Quoting PerseyG:
The money goes to raises for the superintendents and their staff. It's incredible how entitled these beaurocrats are. They push pencils part time and they feel as though they deserve 6 figure salaries yet the ratings of their district are rapidly falling.
Our superintendent just gave himself a $30k raise to his $125k salary and he's retired from another district, so he's double-dipping with a pension. He claims his family can't survive on his income.
Yes, I am a lowly school secretary. I see first hand how our superintendent and his staff never have to give up anything. He didn't take a pay cut; the district staff are all full time,-12 month employees (many of us at the elementary level have been cut back to 10 month employees and received hourly pay cuts as well). I know full and well that shit runs down hill. I also know in our state (AZ) the legislature is trying to monkey with voter approved funds, so schools aren't given what they're due. The only people who suffer in the end are the students (as in paying for extracurricular activities that used to be part of the curriculum) and having larger class sizes. But we could go on for hours about that.
Quoting tomatoqueen:
I don't think many districts can afford to pay for everything, but we really need to have a way for lower income kids to participate. I think extracurricular activities are fantastic, but the costs have gotten way out of hand.
I completely agree....there should be some sort of scholarship program available for these families. Austria? Why? What was in Austria that a teacher would feel compelled to take his teen-aged students there? It would stand to reason that if a teacher wanted to plan a trip like that, he/she should ask for input from the families before making them commit to monthly payments. Not only would it be expensive, there are other costs involved...like passport fees etc... That, to me, is completely over the top.
I have 3 children who have already graduated from school. All 3 were in band from the 6th grade all the way through high school. We parents always had fees to pay. From equipment purchases/rentals, to band uniform cleaning to the shirts they wore under their uniforms. Also I have in my closet 6 pairs of Dinkles. Also bought by us. My oldest daughter was in the drill team at the same time she was marching. The costs of those two years, in the drill team, pretty much equaled what I paid for the other 2 in one year, each.
My point is, that extracurricular activities are just that, extra. It's not a requirement. Football, basketball, track. All are extra. The school districts provide for a small amount of these things only. It is up to the parents to pay for that. If the school districts start paying for it, our property taxes would go up considerably. This is why the organizations are allowed fund raisers. To help pay for some of these costs. To answer the question, yes, they should. If my 8 yo wants to do extra curricular activities, I will gladly pay whatever fees are needed to make sure he can.
Quoting conniecabe:
Quoting PerseyG:
The money goes to raises for the superintendents and their staff. It's incredible how entitled these beaurocrats are. They push pencils part time and they feel as though they deserve 6 figure salaries yet the ratings of their district are rapidly falling.
Our superintendent just gave himself a $30k raise to his $125k salary and he's retired from another district, so he's double-dipping with a pension. He claims his family can't survive on his income.
Yes, I am a lowly school secretary. I see first hand how our superintendent and his staff never have to give up anything. He didn't take a pay cut; the district staff are all full time,-12 month employees (many of us at the elementary level have been cut back to 10 month employees and received hourly pay cuts as well). I know full and well that shit runs down hill. I also know in our state (AZ) the legislature is trying to monkey with voter approved funds, so schools aren't given what they're due. The only people who suffer in the end are the students (as in paying for extracurricular activities that used to be part of the curriculum) and having larger class sizes. But we could go on for hours about that.
This is totally OT but I have to say it... How can you say lowly? Anyone who has ever worked at a school knows you are the one who runs it!
Now on the topic... It's a bad situation. Either ask parents to pay, or drop programs. Both choices are bad, schools pick the least bad. The worst part is that low income students may have an even greater need for these activities and they are ones who will be excluded.
Quoting SilverMystik:
I have 3 children who have already graduated from school. All 3 were in band from the 6th grade all the way through high school. We parents always had fees to pay. From equipment purchases/rentals, to band uniform cleaning to the shirts they wore under their uniforms. Also I have in my closet 6 pairs of Dinkles. Also bought by us. My oldest daughter was in the drill team at the same time she was marching. The costs of those two years, in the drill team, pretty much equaled what I paid for the other 2 in one year, each.
My point is, that extracurricular activities are just that, extra. It's not a requirement. Football, basketball, track. All are extra. The school districts provide for a small amount of these things only. It is up to the parents to pay for that. If the school districts start paying for it, our property taxes would go up considerably. This is why the organizations are allowed fund raisers. To help pay for some of these costs. To answer the question, yes, they should. If my 8 yo wants to do extra curricular activities, I will gladly pay whatever fees are needed to make sure he can.
The problem comes when a student wants to take choir because they love to sing or band because they want to learn to play an instrument. They are then required to participate in co curricular activities which have fees associated. In all of the band programs I know, if you take band, you are in a class with a grade and the grade is linked to your extracurricular activities. As I told the superintendent, my son should not have been penalized because he loved music but could not afford the extra fees associated with the class. In one year in choir, the fees totaled over $2500. This is in a public school. IF you were in an advanced choir, you were REQUIRED to participate in a variety of extra activities ranging from competitions to trips....Our district and many others limit the number of fund raisers a group may have. The state of Texas and University Scholastic League limit how much a booster organization can do for students and the nature of support that can be provided. It is great that you can do this for your kids, but for many families who are struggling to keep a home, the costs associated with a class are just too high.
Quoting conniecabe:
Quoting tomatoqueen:
I don't think many districts can afford to pay for everything, but we really need to have a way for lower income kids to participate. I think extracurricular activities are fantastic, but the costs have gotten way out of hand.
I completely agree....there should be some sort of scholarship program available for these families. Austria? Why? What was in Austria that a teacher would feel compelled to take his teen-aged students there? It would stand to reason that if a teacher wanted to plan a trip like that, he/she should ask for input from the families before making them commit to monthly payments. Not only would it be expensive, there are other costs involved...like passport fees etc... That, to me, is completely over the top.
The choir director told the school board that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids to participate in the 150th (I think) anniversary of Mozart's death celebrations. The reality was that there were celebrations all over Europe. The choir was NOT participating in the official celebrations. They gave a concert at a church. This is typical for tour groups to do. I learned of the distinction because the college my son wanted to attend WAS invited to be an official representative of the US in the actual celebrations. In reality, the director wanted to go and his trip was paid for by the district. Our district is considered "wealthy" and he acts like all of us have money. I picked his handbook apart. The school board was NOT told that they trip was considered mandatory. As a result of the nasty emails he sent to me and the documentation I provided, the new rule became that parents had to have a minimum of 18 months lead time before an out of country trip. Since then, he has taken the choir to NYC and is currently planning a trip to San Francisco. We live in Waco. During the year of the Austria trip, the band went to Orlando and the orchestra went to Chicago. My son was in all three groups. We could not afford one trip. Choir was the only group to make a big deal of his not going. I am a former teacher who was in charge of extra curricular activities. I would never have put my students in this position.
Eight Year Old Girl Given "Catastrophe Award" By Teacher
- Cafe GroupAdmin
on Aug. 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM