Schools to request, not require fees

[Cathy McCaughan]

From today's KNS: "The school board is having to revise the policy by changing student fees - collected for things ranging from activities to field trips to lock deposits - from required to requested, following the model of a recently changed state law."

"If we as a system can be more transparent, the vast majority of the people who support (fees) are going to continue," board member Karen Carson said following the board's monthly work session."

[Cathy McCaughan]

Instead of focusing on the fact that the school system will not force families to pay fees, I wish the focus could be:

1. An explanation of how the fees are used so that everyone understands the fees really are needed and
2. An understanding that families may need to spread some of the fees out instead of paying huge lump sums at the beginning of the school year.

[Bob Hunter]

I agrre with you Cathy - I don't mind helping out with costs as I long as I understand what is really going on. I would go a step further and ask for full disclosure of how the schools benefit from other things like contracts with photographers.

[Cathy McCaughan]

Or the hundred dollar yearbook that should be a lot less expensive when it is packed with ads and purchased pages for individual Seniors.

[Mark Nylander]

The article is misleading, the state law did not change. The State Board of Education merely clarified existing TCA § 49-2-114 almost a year ago back in January 2009. I commented on this in a post back in August.

I don't believe this change will affect charging for extra-curricular things like the yearbook. It does cover field trips, band instrument fees, labs and other such activities that occur during school hours as a part of regular education.

[Cathy McCaughan]

What about band boosters? I know they are quoted in the article, but they seem to be a parent group and not a Knox County group.