Kansas Parents Not Happy with New School Activity Fee

[pstokely]

Source: Fox 4 Kansas City

LEAWOOD, Kan—
Now that kids are getting ready to go back to school, some parents in the Shawnee Mission School District say that they are being caught by surprise by a new activity and participation fee, one that they say that they have no intention of paying.

Shawnee Mission North High School parent Rachel Willard says that neither of her two step-daughter participate in school activities, and money is tight, so she is wondering why she should have to pay a $90 fee for something they won't use.

Read more: http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-smsd-parents-not-happy-with-new-activity-fee-20110804,0,3522833.story

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Kansas schools districts can't even hold elections for tax increases for operating expenses

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703597804576194833223414172.html

[kestrel91316]

1. If you don't want to pay taxes, Kansans, then you won't get the free services

they fund. People constantly vote against their own interests and then wonder WTF went wrong.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. What are you basing that on?

Can you provide a link proving Kansans don't want to pay taxes?

[pstokely]

7. Kansas law does not allow districts to hold elections for tax increases

Missouri does, one district passed a tax increase on Tuesday

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Bullshit

We just passed a levy here last year.

Where do you get this crap?

[pstokely]

13. KS Supreme Court

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703597804576194833223414172.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. From that article:

"Kansas, like a handful of other states, caps the amount of money that local school districts can raise from property taxes"

Caps - NOT prohibits. Big difference.

We have school levy elections all the time in Kansas. And in Johnson County, they usually pass easily.

[pstokely]

20. Then why doesn't the SM school district have a levy election instead of a $90 "activity" fee

Most of the "moderate" Repukes in KS are in the rich parts of Johnson County

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Because the state says we can't raise taxes to pay for activities

We can pay for capital improvements, which is why there are so many brand new buildings in Shawnee Mission. But if we want to raise our taxes to hire more teachers or pay for programs or activities, we can't. Those programs have to be funded by the state.

[pstokely]

25. Why is SM closing schools while building new ones?

Why not keep the current buildings open instead of building new ones>

[proud2BlibKansan]

28. Because of population shifts

The school aged population in the older parts of the district is decreasing. So schools get closed.

Until 1970, SM was several separate smaller districts. SMEast was a separate district from SMNorth, etc. Each district built its own schools and as the larger SM community grew, they ended up with elementary schools just a few blocks away from each other, but in separate districts. In 1970, the districts all combined to form the SM district. And they had way too many elementary schools. So they had to start closing some of the schools. Since then the population has shifted and the older parts of the district don't need as many schools.

The reason they build new schools is because voters are allowed to vote to raise taxes for capital improvements. They can't raise their taxes to hire teachers or fund academic programs, but they can build new schools. So they do.

[pstokely]

32. How do they find the $ to operate those schools?

How do they pay for the heating and AC?

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. The state pays for that

Just like they do in MO. States fund all local public schools.

[No Elephants]

46. School buses are cheaper than new buildings. But, if the schools are closed, they should

at least be recycled. Some can be cpmverted to senior housing for that population of those aging districts. Or community centers, for senior day care. Or nursing homes.

[proud2BlibKansan]

48. They have been

They are either community centers or the buildings have been torn down for parks.

[pstokely]

51. But what about the gas for those buses?

?

[JDPriestly]

43. The building of schools can be a cover for the corrupt creation

of business for political donors in the construction business.

[No Elephants]

45. Buildings make lousy teachers. Lobby state legislators to change the

laws. These are contractor loving laws, not student loving laws. Sure, you need buildings (and building jobs), too, but the law is dumb.

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. LOL There's a long history here that you apparently don't know

The funding law was put in place to prevent some districts from spending exponential amounts more than other poorer districts. We had a several tiered education system in the state until the funding law was changed.

[pstokely]

18. Maybe they have no problem with taxes, but the KS Supreme says no tax increase

they can't even have a vote on a tax increase of operating expenses

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703597804576194833223414172.html

[krispos42]

2. Your tax cuts at work n/t

[Mnemosyne]

11. And that's just the beginning, imho. n/t

[krispos42]

27. Oh, the idiots on the right have no idea

No matter how many facts are out there, they just won't believe it.

[Mnemosyne]

50. 'Be careful what you wish for' comes to mind. They are the cut your nose off crowd.

Great toon!

[SoCalNative]

4. I hope that her step-daughters

don't plan on going to college. If they don't participate in any school activities outside of class that is not looked upon well.

[LeftyMom]

5. Maybe the witness protection program will pay for it?

I'd have tried to join if my parent was on the local news talking about how broke my family was. High school is hard enough without your stepmom making a scene over $90.

[TheDebbieDee]

30. Leawood is one of the more, if not the most affluent communities

in Kansas. I can't believe that this parent is complaining about paying a $90 activity fee.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I commend her

I've been waiting for a courageous parent to challenge this fee in court for years now. It doesn't matter if the parents can afford it or not. Free public education means just that - free. Sneaking fees in here and there mean it's not a free education anymore.

[pstokely]

33. Why should she pay if her kids don't participate in any school activiites?

I never did, I guess she lives in North JoCO

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Lots of kids don't participate in extra curriculars

My son didn't and he had no problem getting into college.

But the point is -- why should kids pay for activities they don't participate in?

[pstokely]

10. Colleges have activity fees

They usually pay for stuff like concerts

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Since a college education isn't guaranteed to all of our kids this is not a problem

However, kids have a right to a free and appropriate K-12 education. Charging them extra fees borders on unconstitutional.

I refused to pay the fees when my kids were in school. Guess what happened? Nothing. They still got to go to school.

[pstokely]

16. A look of districts charge book rental fees

but most of the fees are for things like sports or parking passes

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Several parents have challenged the fees going back many years now

I always refused to pay them and the school said fine. They know they are on shaky legal ground here.

[pstokely]

21. Since of most of SM is well off, they probably just expect parents to pay the fee without a fight

Do they even get into sports for free in that district with this $90?

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. SM isn't that well off anymore

The poverty rate is rising quickly.

I have no idea if they have to pay to get into sports. My kids didn't go to games.

[pstokely]

26. Most of the wealth is probably shifting to Olathe and Blue Valley

But the SM East area is still pretty well off

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Parts of it, not all.

SM East area is made up of a lot more than just Mission Hills.

[pstokely]

34. PV has a few small ranch houses but high property values

A lot of retirees in that area who've been in their houses since they were built during the baby boom era

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. PV is also only PART of the SM district

Do you understand that not ALL people who live in Kansas are wealthy or have a home with a high property value?

This Kansas bashing is crap. The misinformation needs to stop. I can show you neighborhoods in the KCMO district with million dollar houses. And in Center. And Raytown. And Grandview, etc. We live in a DIVERSE metropolitan area.

[pstokely]

37. What part of the district has the most poverty?

I'm guessing the North part has poverty from KCK creeping in

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. There's poverty all over the district

What's your point?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Yes Kansas School districts can hold elections for tax increases

Where are you getting your information?

[AllyCat]

12. If I remember correctly, isn't this a district with lots of reasonably well-off families?

Or is that SMS (south)?

[pstokely]

15. Most of the district is well-off, but poverty is creeping into the SM North area

SM East includes Mission Hills

[madmom]

23. Why do they think school is the only place that has outside activities? My kids were involved in

quite a few activities, but not through the school. Daughter was in dance every year starting at 5 through her 16th birthday, she also had girl scouts. My son worked with the red cross and was a lifeguard at the local indoor pool. They were both busy all the time, but neither was into sports or anything school related. BTW, they both got into college with no problems.

[SheilaT]

39. I wish more parents

would refuse to pay these fees, especially if the kids aren't participating.

And it's important for those reading this thread to understand that the voters in Johnson County Kansas, especially in the Shawnee Mission School District, have always been willing to vote higher taxes to pay for good schools. In the early 90's, school districts in other parts of the state got a little miffed about that, and so a kind of funding equalization thing was passed in the state legislature, and the equalization mainly reduced funding in the Johnson County school districts, and severely capped just how much more local money could be raised via local taxation.

As Proud2B has also pointed out, population declines -- very specifically decline in the population of school aged children -- in the older parts of Johnson County, meaning the Shawnee Mission school district, has greatly affected EVERYTHING in that school district.

When I lived there I eventually got so enraged at my acquaintances who lived in KCMO who kept on saying things like, "Well nobody can afford to live in Johnson County", to which my standard reply became, "You're right, and now it's totally depopulated and wild deer roam through the now empty Oak Park Mall." In reality, Johnson County has always had as much income diversity as any other part of the metro area, and not as many who live there are as rich as some think.

Oh, and I absolutely refuse to say I'm from Kansas City. Because I'm not. For at least ten years now I've said I'm from Overland Park, Kansas, and if the listener looks a little befuddled, I then explain that it's a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, another state entirely.

[pstokely]

41. KCMOSD doesn't cover the entire city limits of KCMO

The other other districts the cover KCMO city limits like Park Hill and Raytown

[alp227]

40. My quick opinion: Education (required) should be free, optional activities are up to the individual.

When I went to high school (in a suburban area) we had fees for attending sporting events, taking AP exams, and doing other extracurricular activities.

[pstokely]

42. but since this is a mostly well off district, it expects parents to pay the fees without a fight

They think they can get away with this

[exboyfil]

47. My district charges a $55 registration fee and a $40 optional activity fee

I think individuals who participate in free/reduced lunch are exempt from the registration fee. In addition to paying this fee, we do alot of in kind donations to the school, and my wife helps out in class and other activities such as collecting receipts for contributions from local businesses who pay a certain percentage of total spend at their store back to schools who turn in these receipts. We view these activities as positively impacting the education of our children which is ultimately our responsibility and not the states. I understand the school has a tight budget, and it is well run. If that was not the case, I would whine a whole lot more about the fee. As it stands I view it no differently than any other assistance to the school.

You could argue that if a sufficient number of parents are doing this and parents are compelled to assist in this fashion (perhaps through peer pressure), you are approaching a public/private model for a school. That allows for wealthier districts who have the cash to pay fees and assist during the school day to offer a superior education for the same spend when compared to poorer districts. Should states either normalize for this difference by increasing the funding to districts without this level of cooperation (or correspondingly reduce the funding for the wealthier district) or prohibit this activity in the interest of achieving an egalitarian outcome? In general our poorer districts in our state receive up to a $1000/student more per year.

[No Elephants]

44. Breaking: Stuff costs money. Governments get money from taxes. Film at 11.