RCS to look at student fees on The Murfreesboro Post

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RCS to look at student fees

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Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009 10:09 am

Certain fees may be a thing of the past for public school students in Rutherford County.

Tennessee’s Department of Education has issued new guidelines for when schools and school systems may ask students to pay fees for activities and supplies.

“No one may be required to pay fees, regardless of income, for activities and supplies required to participate in courses offered for credit or grade,” The new guidelines say.

Rutherford County Board of Education will vote Thursday night on a list of fees submitted by Director of Schools Harry Gill Jr. that may be requested by schools this year.

Proposed fees include, but are not limited to:
• Field trips,
• Supplemental reading materials, paper and supplies,
• Extracurricular uniforms,
• Computer supplies, like flash drives and calculators, and
• Fees for national exams on the high school level.

Fees in Rutherford County came under fire in 2007 after a Central Middle School parent raised a complaint about the school’s $25 per child fee to participate in the Tiger Prowl, an event where students get a break from classes and raise funds for the school. The father claimed the fee was too steep and placed his child and others at a disadvantage.

The Department of Education issued a legal opinion in November 2007 that said the school board is in violation of state law. The state requires school systems to have a policy to waive school fees for students who receive free or reduced lunch.

In response, the system developed new rules for school day activities and overnight trips for disadvantaged students that allows for any fees and/or payments required for field trips or excursions to be waived for students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.

Other school board business
• The Rutherford Education Association has approved its union contract with the school system for the 2009-2010 school year with only one change.

The contract has been revised to reflect a change to new insurance premiums for employees enrolled in Option 1.

• The new tennis courts at Old Fort Park are in the final stages of construction.

Various contractors are putting the last touches on the courts, like landscaping, installing lights and putting down the final surface on the courts and installing nets.

Rutherford County Schools is constructing 16 outdoor, lighted tennis courts next to the Ag Center at Old Fort Park for use by the general public and local high school and middle school teams.

Rutherford County is responsible for the $1.2 million price tag and the city of Murfreesboro agreed to be responsible for the long-term maintenance of the courts.

Tagged under RCS

Member Opinions:

By: mck3491 on 9/10/09
Whoa! Tennis courts are nice, but at my 7th grader's school, there are not enough math books to go around, so students can't even bring them home so I can help him! There's something terribly wrong here.

By: Geana on 9/10/09
Well, at least the tennis courts will be used by the school system. The father who complained about the Tiger Prowl fee was correct, especially for parents who had children in each grade, that's 50 dollars.

I think the schools should working harder on obtaining government and other types of grants (maybe Bill Gates and what about Boxtops for Education) to provide computer supplies and calculators and they should be issued along with textbooks.

Don't boo me everybody, but I think it's time for the county to consider school taxes when the economy recovers.

By: Farmall on 9/11/09
When I was in school and there was a field trip those who wanted to go paid the sum. If you didn't pay you didn't go. There was no free ride. Now I have to pay more so those that are on free lunch get to go. With three it adds up, now mine don't go anymore. The last field trips they went on were more than $15 each.

I know the parent at CMS. And he was completely in the right.

By: sbobo on 9/12/09
The parent at CMS was just complaining. The children at all schools that do fundraising events like Tiger prowl are given the packets nearly a month in advance and are encouraged to find ways to either raise the money themselves or get donations. Sounds like kids are just lazy.

By: Geana on 9/13/09
Those kids are not lazy sbobo. If I remember correctly those children whose parents couldn't afford the fee were not allowed to take breaks from classes. It was also unfair to those children to see "FUN"draising going on right in their own school they couldn't participate in.... even if all they could raise on their own was S10.00. That parent wasn't the only one, but a smarter one who found a way to make it a "legal" complaint. It was not in the best interests of the students.

By: sbobo on 9/13/09
You apparently didn't read my post entirely. The kids are encouraged to raise the money. Not ask their parents. And FUN doesn't have anything to do with it. The key word in FUNDraiser is fund. It's to raise money for the school because Rutherford county would rather build more tennis courts that fund schools. But its not just fund raisers like Tiger prowl or Warrior walk etc. that are getting cut out. Field trips and other educational activites are being cut to because of the same or similar complaints.

By: Farmall on 9/14/09
The Tiger Prowl was nothing more than a way to extort money from students/parents.

By: vdanr on 9/16/09
Excuse me Farmall, Tiger Prowl was not a way to extort money from students/parents. It was an event to raise money for the school. I don't see a problem with kinds having fun and having fundraisers to help raise money for the schools. Consider the alternatives: 1. raise taxes so schools can get more money to function, 2. tell our legilators to use the "wheel tax" for the purpose it is intended, 3. cut out all educational and fun activities that would require students/parents/teachers to raise money, 4. etc, etc, etc...

I see nothing wrong with events like this. Those who choose not to participate will do just that, choose!!