Did you know that the Maryland Constitution guarantees a free public education for its students?
The Montgomery County Board of Education still has not read the document. Imagine running a multi billion dollar public school system, and not knowing about state law.
Truly amazing.
As our annual tradition, below is the list of fees "approved" by the Board of Education for middle school students. If you cannot pay or choose not to pay, simply tell ask the school to waive your fee. Your child cannot be excluded from class for not paying a fee.
And why hit the arts classes the hardest? How many times per semester does the school get their band uniforms dry cleaned? And - can't they use a discount dry cleaners? Or have the kids wear white shirts and black pants?
Remember, you are the taxpayer. Ask questions - and if you do pay these fees, treat them as a donation to the school, not a mandatory fee, because we all know that mandatory fees are not allowed - right?
High school fees will be posted shortly.
My child plays sports which also requires a whole blob of $$! All fall sports at this school have to sell those awful discount cards - my daughter's sport doesn't make the parents buy the ones the kids can't sell them but some sports do - and they get 12 @ $20/each - some parents will be out $240! I'm sorry but we don't live in the same town as the school (where a lot of the discounts are) and all our neighbors are involved in our local school's sports clubs...to whom is she supposed to sell them? No way I'd buy all 12....
ReplyDeleteAfter school activities are not free in Maryland.
DeleteWhat is free is public school classes. The list above shows school classes with fees attached. The fees shown above are illegal in Maryland. The Board of Education and MCPS know this and if you quote your teacher or principal the law they will back down and not charge you the course fee. So sad that we live in a society that has bullies for teachers and administrators. Taking advantage of students by attempting to force them to pay illegal fees is extortion. It is also known as TAXING THE IGNORANT, because only those that are ignorant of the law end up paying the fees. Those that know the law do not pay the fees.
This is a tax on the Arts and our children who love the arts. Note almost all the illegal fees are for art and music classes. So, if your child is an artist or musician, and you can't afford this additional tax on the Arts, MCPS, County Executive Ike Leggett, and the county councilmembers are telling you: your child does not belong in our art and music classes. Go somewhere else. The arts are only for the wealthy in Montgomery County.
ReplyDeleteCould be worse: Westland PTA is currently emailing parents for donations to buy several carts of Chromebooks, which MCPS won't fund. These are thousands of dollars sought for equipment of questionable educational value!!!
ReplyDeleteIn addition to donations Westland PTA is using the funds that it already has to purchase Chromebooks. Not a single parent spoke in favor of this PTA purchase and I doubt they will be donating to this cause. The money could have been better spent on after school activities.
ReplyDeleteI have to pay a fee for going to high school. This is ridiculous how it legally is free. The county is making me pay illegally
ReplyDeleteThat's right. So why are you paying the fee?
DeleteIf I don't, I have an obligation and can't graduate from high school, and eventually never be able to get a job or go to college.
DeleteWrong. You do not have an obligation to pay a class fee.
DeleteWhat fee are you being charged?
If it for a class, do not pay it and cite the MD Constitution. MCPS will back off. They know these fees are illegal. Many, many students have cited the MD Constitution, refused to pay the fees and graduated just fine. It's your choice. Do you want to pay the extortion or get the free public education that you deserve? Those that know the law don't pay the fees and graduate. There are examples on this blog of students that have challenged a class fee and the fee has gone away.
It must be a perennial matriculation fee.
DeleteThe fee amount is directly proportional to the number of legal scholars MCPS has on retainer.
ReplyDelete