School Fees?

[101]

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. We never pay the extra fees, out of pure principle. If the school district wants to allow the government, state or federal, to control them and their money then they are responsible for how it's (mis)managed. I feel the teachers are to blame for most of the problems in the schools. No one but the teachers can right the problems of the schools. Instead of complaining about this or that, do something about it. No paper? No problem, do recess all day long. Instead of striking for more pay, strike to have the funds properly utilized.

I agree with Howler. Teachers always whine about parents not paying or suppling pencils and they have to spend 500.00 for it themselves. That sucks, yes. I'm a mechanic and have spent 25k+ on tools, just so I can fix your car. Almost a years pay, just to do my job. I don't whine. I could find something else to do for a living. No one forces me to be a mechanic, just like no one forces teachers to teach. Stop spending your own money and hold your bosses accountable or quit. Can you imagine what soldiers would do if we expected them to provide their own bullets?

Quick story. Hazelwood elementary school, Clarksville. 3rd grade, beginning of the school year open house. Walked through the door and right into the PTO table. They were telling me about the fund raisers for the kids and blah, blah. Then they let it slip that the new parking lot was paid for with last years fund raiser money. I almost came unglued. So, ever since then we have not paid a penny outside of taxes. I only send stuff for my child to use, no extra because the teachers are using the extra supplies to teach socialism to the children. They preach how we have to take all the supplies and share with the less fortunate. They call it community property and explain how the extra brought by some goes to the some that have none.

Sorry. Done ranting. Just gets under my skin. Why do we allow the schools to operate this way I don't know. The teachers have the power to change it if they would stop worrying about pay and parking lots. I thought they taught because they "love it". They knew the pay sucked when they chose that field.

[TMF]

I pay property taxes and I buy my kids their own stuff. I know damn well that the majority of other parents do neither. They can pound sand if they think they're getting another dime out of me.

I really do feel for the teachers, but it isn't my fault that the money is so mismanaged.

[tercel89]

think the fees are tough being the parent? my wife is a teacher, and we buy pencils, paper, notebooks, and even tissues so snotty nosed students don't wipe on their sleeves. nobody seems to want to foot the bill for education.

them tissues get into my bullet and range money, but my wife loves teaching, so be it.

and her school district has not given raises for years now.

sent from ...

My wife is also a teacher and I feel the same as you . She has to pay a load out of her own pocket for simple things that I think should be given to teachers to begin with . She has to buy glue , paper ,,,,,,,,, on and on . It is just sad .

[peejman]

Mom was a teacher for nearly 30 years. She routinely spent 2-3x more on stuff for her classroom as she did for me and my sister.

As for the mechanic analogy... Do you give away the tools you bought because someone else doesn't have one? Do you get paid overtime? Do you work 2-4 hrs every day at home for free? Do you spend nights and weekends at work related functions?

[Caster]

When was a machinist I have seen guys tool boxes that I know we're insured for 100K. If you've been in that business for a couple of decades it's easy have 50 grand in a brown Kennedy roll around. Very easy. You can write that off but there's no aid for it. You still gotta cough up the dough. I only did the trade for 12 years and I had a good ten grand in stuff when I left.

A top end mechanic can be just as much if he's buying his own diagnostic tools.

[AU_88]

Mom was a teacher for nearly 30 years. She routinely spent 2-3x more on stuff for her classroom as she did for me and my sister.

As for the mechanic analogy... Do you give away the tools you bought because someone else doesn't have one? Do you get paid overtime? Do you work 2-4 hrs every day at home for free? Do you spend nights and weekends at work related functions?

Why don't you add... Do you have 2-3 months in the summer off?

My mother is a teacher, she has 2 masters and started corse work for her doctorate. Which she got the majority paid for by the state. If she worked the extra two months and got paid for those months she would make around $80k a year. After working for 20 years in finance she doesn't whine about much anymore, especially not the money she is given each year to go buy school supplies. I get tired of hearing teachers cry about what they get paid, but they don't have much to say when they have June and July off.

[Dennis1209]

Ah! My kids are grown and flew the nest. It does the heart good for me to hear what fellow parents are just now experiencing

I didn't care for the "fees", money for stupid field trips to watch the rocks grow and all the other incidentals, but...

What I really hated, no, that's not a strong enough word, despised, no let's try again, LOATH. Was when the kids came home with the paper work to sell junk people don't want, and be expected to sell X amount to fund a project or something. Of course the kids were not interested in selling one item but, the expected us parents to do their job.

If memory serves, I believe I sold 1,648,289 candy bars to co-workers, friends, relatives and homeless street people! I remember my wife making a few sales, stealing a candy bar now and then and making me replace the funds.

Naturally you don't want to make your kids look bad to their teachers and peers by not selling many. When they came home to solicit funds selling frozen pizza, garlic bread and other frozen items, I soiled myself.

We had to go buy several coolers to store our items we had in the chest freezer to store all the frozen items for the school that came in, until we had the time to "DELIVER" them. Talk about an under paid pizza driver! Those days are over fellow TGO guys! I'm going to sit back and take pleasure in your community service

P.S. Let's vote for another property tax increase to do away with those pesky fees, after all, no child should be Left Behind with Fee Fee's

\rant off

[peejman]

Why don't you add... Do you have 2-3 months in the summer off?

My mother is a teacher, she has 2 masters and started corse work for her doctorate. Which she got the majority paid for by the state. If she worked the extra two months and got paid for those months she would make around $80k a year. After working for 20 years in finance she doesn't whine about much anymore, especially not the money she is given each year to go buy school supplies. I get tired of hearing teachers cry about what they get paid, but they don't have much to say when they have June and July off.

That 2-3 months off is more like 2-3 weeks. Between in-service, summer school, training classes, preparing for the next year, etc., it isn't much of a break. 60-70 hrs/wk for 9 months is still more total hours than 40 hrs/wk for 12 months.

Mom never complained about the pay. She complained about the long hours, incompetent administrators, and useless parents.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

You should try college nowadays.

My wife has 1 year to go before she has her Masters Degree. Those graduate classes are expensive!

And I'm trying to push her to go for a PH.D. since she has the brains to do it.

I was rescued by my son's ingenuity. I am so proud of him. He is in Germany at kit.edu getting his Masters,

and if I heard correctly he will be in Cape Town South Africa getting his doctorate in engineering.

All I'm having to pay is a random plane ticket so far. He has great networking skills.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Ah! My kids are grown and flew the nest. It does the heart good for me to hear what fellow parents are just now experiencing

I didn't care for the "fees", money for stupid field trips to watch the rocks grow and all the other incidentals, but...

What I really hated, no, that's not a strong enough word, despised, no let's try again, LOATH. Was when the kids came home with the paper work to sell junk people don't want, and be expected to sell X amount to fund a project or something. Of course the kids were not interested in selling one item but, the expected us parents to do their job.

If memory serves, I believe I sold 1,648,289 candy bars to co-workers, friends, relatives and homeless street people! I remember my wife making a few sales, stealing a candy bar now and then and making me replace the funds.

Naturally you don't want to make your kids look bad to their teachers and peers by not selling many. When they came home to solicit funds selling frozen pizza, garlic bread and other frozen items, I soiled myself.

We had to go buy several coolers to store our items we had in the chest freezer to store all the frozen items for the school that came in, until we had the time to "DELIVER" them. Talk about an under paid pizza driver! Those days are over fellow TGO guys! I'm going to sit back and take pleasure in your community service

P.S. Let's vote for another property tax increase to do away with those pesky fees, after all, no child should be Left Behind with Fee Fee's

\rant off

Ah, yes. I remember those days, back to the 60's when I was selling(and buying) Band candy. Some of the best

chocolate known to man! I'll bet I sold three or four hundred cases to a lot of Clarksvillians. Hey, we had a great

high school music program and the school board was just getting into screwing with curriculum. We had to raise

our own funds, sometimes.

Now this nonsense of school fees on top of the endoctrination would bring me to a quick boil if my kids were in the

public brainwashing system. That alone is worthy of a revolt.

[Dennis1209]

That 2-3 months off is more like 2-3 weeks. Between in-service, summer school, training classes, preparing for the next year, etc., it isn't much of a break. 60-70 hrs/wk for 9 months is still more total hours than 40 hrs/wk for 12 months.

Mom never complained about the pay. She complained about the long hours, incompetent administrators, and useless parents.

Yea, you have that right!

How times have changed. In my day, you best have the same respect for your teachers as you did for your parents. Back talking, disrespect, acting up, not paying attention were not tolerated. That was my first introduction to military rank, "corporal punishment". Try that now!

In my day, you aspired for a honorable profession such as; a teacher, policeman or fireman. Now days in the urban environment the role model is the corner drug dealer and/or the gang bangers for many children.

I have always had a deep respect and appreciation for teachers. In my educational years a public school teacher had to have a minimum of a bachelors degree to teach. I believe the educational requirements are the same today. That time and money spent to get that sheep skin could have been spent for personal gain for a better career and much more money. Teachers should not be the work week step parents and baby sitters.

I personally have mixed opinions about funding public education with forced tax dollars. It has benefits and draw backs.

I'm turning into a professional ranter

God bless our teachers.

[AU_88]

That 2-3 months off is more like 2-3 weeks. Between in-service, summer school, training classes, preparing for the next year, etc., it isn't much of a break. 60-70 hrs/wk for 9 months is still more total hours than 40 hrs/wk for 12 months.

Mom never complained about the pay. She complained about the long hours, incompetent administrators, and useless parents.

My mother spent 2 months in Bristol with my grandparents this summer. She left in the middle of May and came back a couple weeks ago. She leaves for work around 7 am and gets home before 5 pm most days and that is with a 45 minute drive. Not to mention she has every holiday off. I work 55 hours a week, every week, with the exception of my three weeks vacation. I work every holiday and make a little more than most teachers, I chose my profession and am not crying about it, but it's all about time management and what all the hard work is going to get you.

[strickj]

I really do not have a problem paying for schools with taxes. Don't even mind paying for those who can not afford it.

I do have a problem paying for those that can afford it but choose not to or are simply too lazy to care. Also have a big problem paying over a million dollars a year for school board salaries and benefits.

Someone mentioned teaching kids socialism by dividing supplies up and giving them to kids without supplies.

Easiest way to teach them socialism is by not paying your kid's fees. That will teach them that if they do not feel like paying something they owe, the government will step in and make someone else pay it for you.

[101]

Someone mentioned teaching kids socialism by dividing supplies up and giving them to kids without supplies.

Easiest way to teach them socialism is by not paying your kid's fees. That will teach them that if they do not feel like paying something they owe, the government will step in and make someone else pay it for you.

I'm in agreement with this statement, if it only applied to the fees the school is "asking" you to voluntarily give. Keep in mind, the schools have no legal right to ask for money or "force you to pay". They can simply ask you for donations. So when they ask for money or "fees" (except for extra curricula activities) I hear this....."Mr. Smith, we have blown our money that was to be used for your childs education and now we need more so we can actually do our intended purpose".

We are teaching our child that he needs to work and earn his way in life. No one is going to provide anything for him except him. If he doesn't have something, he is taught not to expect any one else to give it to him for free. He's not even allowed to charge school meals. If he loses his money or lunch, he doesn't eat. So much of the crap they pull with our children is absolutely counter productive to the teachings of our family. We give to charity and church, we do not view a tax payer funded institution as a charity. I would not go to a doctor that would expect me to bring my own aspirin or band aids, and some extra for the rest of the patients.

[Guest mcgyver210]

Yea...me too.

I've been paying property taxes to help fund education for over 25 years and haven't used a dime of it for my family. Sure makes me feel good inside.

No extra fees should be needed IMO. I also have never received anything since my son has never gone to public funded schools. I even pay to the schools thru business taxes on top of property taxes.

Now my question has always been what happened to all the money taken from those that either never had kids or those that never used the public system? I know in my area they have used schools as a reason to raise taxes most every-time they need more money.

Government no matter the level is Corrupt, wasteful & UN-trustable.

[Howler]

Mom was a teacher for nearly 30 years. She routinely spent 2-3x more on stuff for her classroom as she did for me and my sister.

As for the mechanic analogy... Do you give away the tools you bought because someone else doesn't have one? Do you get paid overtime? Do you work 2-4 hrs every day at home for free? Do you spend nights and weekends at work related functions?

Do I give away my tools? Not only do I loan them out, I have given some away. Most people start with almost no tools. If I'm looking to upgrade occasionally one of the youngens gets a freebie. If you look close enough you will see I've given away a few things on this board.

Do I get paid overtime? No, I work on flat rate. That means If there is nothing to work on I get paid $0. I have been at work all day and made less than $9 in an eight hour shift. Do the math. I've built a customer base that helps prevent this from happening, but it can happen.

Do I work 2-4 hours every day at home for free? No, but have worked late and on weekends fixing cars for people passing through town. Also, you have no idea the labor given away to appease a customer. Labor is the one thing that can be given away that cost a shop zero dollars. The only one to take a hit is the mechanic. And on a side note, I work 5-6 days a week year round. Don't take this the wrong way, but teachers do not.

Do I spend nights......No, I spend days each year (unpaid) taking training classes. None of which I enjoy.

Next question!

I asked that teachers buy their own pens. I didn't degrade the profession.

Edited August 8, 2012 by Howler

[gregintenn]

Do I give away my tools? Not only do I loan them out, I have given some away. Most people start with almost no tools. If I'm looking to upgrade occasionally one of the youngens gets a freebie. If you look close enough you will see I've given away a few things on this board.

Do I get paid overtime? No, I work on flat rate. That means If there is nothing to work on I get paid $0. I have been at work all day and made less than $9 in an eight hour shift. Do the math. I've built a customer base that helps prevent this from happening, but it can happen.

Do I work 2-4 hours every day at home for free? No, but have worked late and on weekends fixing cars for people passing through town. Also, you have no idea the labor given away to appease a customer. Labor is the one thing that can be given away that cost a shop zero dollars. The only one to take a hit is the mechanic. And on a side note, I work 5-6 days a week year round. Don't take this the wrong way, but teachers do not.

Do I spend nights......No, I spend days each year (unpaid) taking training classes. None of which I enjoy.

Next question!

I asked that teachers buy their own pens. I didn't degrade the profession.

I saw a guy get his tool box and tools repossed at our maintenance garage. He had more than 25k in tools, and pretty much all he dose is oil changes and brake jobs. I"m no mechanic, but I could do that with little more than a 4 way wrench and a pair of pliers.

As far as the teacher whining, I heard it no stop the entire time I went to school. I'm sure you did as well. If anyone sat through that, decided to become a teacher, and now whines, they probably rode the short bus.

I don't mind paying fees (provided I know what they are for), but I'll stage a revolt before I sell one damned thing for a fundraiser!!!

I once asked a teacher what the money was being raised for when solicited for one particular fundraiser, and she actually had no idea.

If it's so important, perhaps the teachers should spend part of the summer selling this various cr@p. Or better yet, get the teachers' union to lobby for better classroom funding rather than for less work and more money.

Edited August 9, 2012 by gregintenn

[Murgatroy]

Well that is a new one.

I just got a note from my daughter's school telling me that the school board can't afford to pay for their secondary insurance, and if I want my daughter covered, I have to pay the premium.

Thank you Obamacare...

But it is all good, his voters will be fine, as anyone that qualifies for free or reduced lunch has the premiums waived.

But not me.

[Guest airborne1525]

My wife is a teacher. I know we spend at least 1500.00 each year for things that parents didn't provide for their children.

You know what happens when a parent refuses to pay the fees, the child still gets the things needed in the class and more times than not, the cost comes out of the teachers already small pocket.

[strickj]

Do I give away my tools? Not only do I loan them out, I have given some away. Most people start with almost no tools. If I'm looking to upgrade occasionally one of the youngens gets a freebie. If you look close enough you will see I've given away a few things on this board.

Do I get paid overtime? No, I work on flat rate. That means If there is nothing to work on I get paid $0. I have been at work all day and made less than $9 in an eight hour shift. Do the math. I've built a customer base that helps prevent this from happening, but it can happen.

Do I work 2-4 hours every day at home for free? No, but have worked late and on weekends fixing cars for people passing through town. Also, you have no idea the labor given away to appease a customer. Labor is the one thing that can be given away that cost a shop zero dollars. The only one to take a hit is the mechanic. And on a side note, I work 5-6 days a week year round. Don't take this the wrong way, but teachers do not.

Do I spend nights......No, I spend days each year (unpaid) taking training classes. None of which I enjoy.

Next question!

I asked that teachers buy their own pens. I didn't degrade the profession.

Buying work related tools is one thing. Everyone does that.

But do you buy the parts for your customers' cars yourself because they didn't want the extra expense?

The money has to come from somewhere. I'd rather it come from the parents then from me. YMMV...

[peejman]

...

I asked that teachers buy their own pens. I didn't degrade the profession.

I didn't degrade anyone's profession. Sorry if you took it that way.

[TMF]

Buying work related tools is one thing. Everyone does that.

But do you buy the parts for your customers' cars yourself because they didn't want the extra expense?

The money has to come from somewhere. I'd rather it come from the parents then from me. YMMV...

Well that's the problem, it already does. I've dropped thousands upon thousands in property taxes over years when I had no children in the education system. If it comes at a price of raising property taxes to reflect the increased operating costs then so be it. However, one would figure that the more kids in the district, the more money being generated through property taxes. Of course, we all know the answer to this riddle. It is the sh##bag parents that don't pay taxes, expect the schools to pay for lunches and so forth, while the responsible parents who are using their money on necessities are taken advantage of by a system that rewards parents who blow their money on booze and meth.

The answer here isn't the teachers putting a "guilt" tax on the parents by sending their students home with a note asking for money. We know damn well that the crappy parents wouldn't consider paying it anyway, as that would cut into their Newport budget. So why should I? I won't voluntarily continue to put money into something when I know I'm being soaked. If it was a matter of every parent putting money in I would be the first to pay, but I'm tired of being made to feel guilty because I happen to have money because I'm responsible, and those who are sh##bag breeders are somehow exempt. Don't want to put money in? Great! Your kid can stay home and get a head start on their inevitable future of being familiar with weights, measures and metal bracelets.

Edited August 10, 2012 by TMF

[Howler]

Buying work related tools is one thing. Everyone does that.

But do you buy the parts for your customers' cars yourself because they didn't want the extra expense?

The money has to come from somewhere. I'd rather it come from the parents then from me. YMMV...

What you say makes no sense. All I said was teachers should buy their red own red pens. Red pens are only used by teachers, correct? That makes the pens the teachers PERSONAL tools. That would be a "work related tool". In 20 school years not one time has my kids used a red pen. So who did I buy the pens for? Ding, ding, ding....a teacher, not that hard to understand! I would have the same peeve if a doctor asked me to bring in a five pack of thermomerters before each yearly exam. How crazy would that sound?

Edited August 10, 2012 by Howler

[southernasylum]

I don't mind providing supplies for my daughter. However, my wife told me a coworker had a list of supplies that included an iTunes gift card for "music for the class". Let's see, the cheapest ones ive seen are $15. With 25-30 kids in each class the teacher is well on their way to a new iPad.

-southernasylum

[Guest bkelm18]

I don't mind providing supplies for my daughter. However, my wife told me a coworker had a list of supplies that included an iTunes gift card for "music for the class". Let's see, the cheapest ones ive seen are $15. With 25-30 kids in each class the teacher is well on their way to a new iPad.

-southernasylum

iTunes gift cards can only be used on iTunes. You can't buy iPads with them.