Third Annual Parents Coalition Survey on School Fees

Stay tuned.

For those of you who have followed our blog faithfully, yes, I will be posting this year's list of curricular fees for high school students.  Right now, MCPS is in the process of responding to a public information request for the documents.

I've been asked why only high schools.  From my perspective, the practice regarding textbooks is most egregious in the high schools.  When  I look at the books my kids were required to purchase, many remained untouched, unused, and unassigned after purchase - so these could have easily been purchased by the school and reused year after year.

Of course, there was the infamous Blair towel too.  No, this could not have been reused, but again, this also was not a towel or used by my child or the kids in the carpool.

If you are interested in filing your own request for school fees at the elementary or middle school level, or for any other information, its easy to do.  Remember, information is presumed to be available to the public - its a public school system, supported by taxpayer dollars.  All you need to do is ask!

Here is a template.  Fill in the blanks and send it to pio@mcpsmd.org. and dana_tofig@mcpsmd.org

Under the Maryland Public Information Act, please provide copies of the  [insert request here - for school fees add  2010-2011 projected supplemental student fees for materials and other curricular expenses approved for each] [insert source of information - eg, middle schools, elementary schools] in MCPS.  

I request a "waiver" of the 30 day response time and any associated fees, and that you provide the materials responding to my request promptly.  

Kindly note that I will pick up the materials from your offices.  Please call me at [your phone number here] when the materials are available for pickup.

Thank you.

[your name here]

The Blair Gym Towel Fee - Alive and Still Illegal

Imagine my surprise when I went to check the Blair HS PE website this afternoon.

Remember - the Blair gym towel fee was the public face of the curricular fee issue last fall.

We thought the fee had disappeared. Its in the MCPS policy. We cheered.

Oops, MCPS fooled us again.

The Blair towel fee is alive and well, and still on the Blair website. Its a new website from last year, so claims of the fee being old just doesn't cut it with this writer.

From the website as of 5 PM today (9/17/2009):

Physical Education at Blair Information

(en español)

Due to the nature of physical education courses, there are some special policies, expectations, and items-of-note regarding Blair's physical education courses. If you or your child is enrolled in Blair P.E., please take a moment to examine the information below.

I. Mission —

Physical Education will provide an individualized, developmentally appropriate, and personally challenging instructional program that advances the student's knowledge, confidence, skills and motivation to engage in a lifelong, healthy, active lifestyle.

The benefits derived from the physical education program depend upon the amount of effort and positive attitude which a student displays. In order to provide for a variety of student needs and interests, the program is divided into two main components: General Physical Education and Specialized Physical Education.

. . .

IV. To begin each semester, students will need to —

• pay a $4.00 towel fee,
• bring an appropriate change of clothing,
• bring appropriate athletic shoes,
• bring a water bottle,
• be issued a personal, Physical Education locker.

Its also still illegal, and now its contrary to MCPS policy too.

Wake up, Mr. Williams and the PE department. Stop charging the students.

Watch this space for additional developments. We hope you don't have to wait long for a resolution.

*****

UPDATE 9/18/09 at 3:30 P.M.: Blair High School deleted Towel Fee from website.
Here is what the website used to look like:



And if you click this link you will see the revised webpage without the $4 towel fee.

Parents' Coalition - Second Annual List of School Fees

In keeping up with a tradition started by Parents' Coalition in September 2008, here is the annual list of supplemental student fees for materials and other curricular expenses for high schools in Montgomery County Maryland.

Recall last year, Montgomery County Public Schools received a fair amount of heat when "some parents" noted that their families were charged for items considered to be part of the free public education provided by the Maryland Constitution.

In response, MCPS reviewed its policy.
Did they do a good job? Well, a quick review of the lists show a great deal of progress towards following the mandate of the state constitution. This year, MCPS released a 20 page document, instead of the 48 pages of fees issued in 2008.

But look at those fees.

MCPS 2009-2010 Curricular Fees - High School

The Blair towel fee is officially history. Thanks Mr. Williams! No foreign language workbooks!

Look closer. What is a dry cleaning fee? Yes, I know what dry cleaning involves, but since when do schools run a laundry service? Why the need for all those uniforms? My children wore their own clothes for middle and high school band performances - don't our kids have black pants, skirts, and shirts, and shoes?

My advice to parents across the county is this:

• 1. If a charge is not on the list, you do not have to pay.
• 2. If a charge is on the list, and you don't want to pay, ask for a waiver.
• 3. If you do pay a fee, consider it a donation.

Remember, under the Maryland Constitution you are entitled to a free public education. But you are also free to donate or gift your money as you wish - just keep in mind that this is your choice, not one mandated by the school system.

Stay tuned for more posts on this topic.

Welcome Back to School MCPS Style 2009

Tomorrow, August 31, is the official start of school in Montgomery County Maryland (unless you are a sophomore, junior, or senior at Blair HS, in Silver Spring, where the rules don't apply).

We're looking forward to see what has changed and what is the same for this school year, and are eagerly waiting to see the questions and challenges facing MCPS parents and students.

What's the same? The Maryland Constitution guarantees a right to a free public education. See Maryland Constitution Article VIII, Section I.

What's new? See the MCPS Guidelines for Course Related Fees. From the webpage:

The new guidelines will reduce the number of course-related fees families are asked to pay while preserving the broad array of course offerings our students deserve. All students, regardless of their economic circumstances, will have full access to all courses.

For our friends at Blair HS - note that the infamous Blair towel fee is now history:

Physical Education Towel Fee—A towel fee may not be charged.

• Schools are not required to provide towels.
• A student may bring a towel if desired.

My favorite part is the waiver. Elementary and secondary school FAQs provide the same language:

How will schools know that the student is eligible for a waiver?

Response: No verification of hardship is required. However, schools must keep a record of waivers provided. Once a parent, student, or staff member requests a waiver for a student, the request is not questioned.

So, what is a parent to do if a child comes home with a request for a check for course related material? You have two choices:

1. Send your child's teacher a copy of the Parents Coalition Guide to Fees. Remind the teacher that he/she is to be a role model for students and obey the law - including the Maryland Constitution.

2. Ask for a waiver.

On behalf of the Parents Coalition, we want to wish all students and teachers across Montgomery County a safe, healthy, and productive school year.

For the upperclass students at Blair - enjoy your extra day of summer! See you on September 1.

School Fees - BOE Meets the Blair HS Gym Towel

Rosanne A. Hurwitz
Testimony before the Montgomery County Board of Education
August 21, 2008 on
MCPS Curriculum Fees

Good afternoon, Superintendent Weast and Members of the Board of Education. My name is Rosanne Hurwitz. I am here to testify concerning student fees for my child who is a student at Blair High School.

As we know, Maryland law provides for a free public education for all. The Maryland Court of appeals has stated that schools must be open to all without expense and this information has recently been reiterated by the Principal Counsel to the State Board of Education.[1]

Therefore, I come to you with three requests.

1. Please refund the towel fees charged my son for two semesters of Physical Education at Blair High School. Physical education is a state mandated graduation requirement. Students at Blair do not take showers in conjunction with their class; however, the school imposes a fee for which students incur an obligation of $4 per semester. Failure to pay this fee results in a “financial obligation” and students who do not pay this fee cannot participate in certain school activities, including graduation.[2] At the end of last year, the senior class had over $72,000 in outstanding obligations.[3]

2. Remove the upcoming charge of $3 per semester for AP English Language. According to the 2008-2009 approved student fee schedule for Blair, this is for a computer workshop. This is clearly a fee in conjunction with the instructional program for the course.

3. Finally, I request that you suspend the imposition of other similar charges throughout the county immediately, pending a review as to the legality of these charges. Although the Board President stated earlier this week that these charges were permitted under Board Policy JNA, I question whether the policy itself or its implementation is in fact consistent with our state law. The list of fees charged by the various MCPS high schools exceeds 40 pages, and the charges themselves are not consistent from school to school, thereby questioning why education costs more at some schools than others. While the Attorney General suggests parents appeal to the Board, it is unconscionable to expect the families of our county to go through this process to obtain what is clearly their right.

Thank you.

[1]August 18, 2008 letter from E. Kameen to L. Wilen (in MCPS records)
[2]2008-2009 MBHS Parent Handbook, page 16
[3] SCO, June 2, 2008

Link to WJLA story