Quoted from the appended article on school pay-to-pay:
[A state lawmaker has introduced a bill that would forbid school districts from assessing sport and activity fees, saying a "pay-to-play" charge is an unfair levy on the students' families...."The fees are nothing short of a new and equally onerous tax on families," he said. ]
Many of us have been saying that for years about public land recreation fees.
Unless we can stop this trend toward the imposition of regressive forms of
taxation, many more people will soon find themselves paying a great many new and
greatly expanded user taxes. The only ones who will benefit will be the rich.
That is how pay-to-play was designed. The good new is --- people are starting to rebel.
Scott
--- begin quoted ---
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1155701264320180.xml&coll=5
New bill calls for school fees ban
Districts would have to find other funding
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
BY LISA RICH
A state lawmaker has introduced a bill that would forbid school
districts from assessing sport and activity fees, saying a
"pay-to-play" charge is an unfair levy on the students' families.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Paulsboro, wants to eliminate fees such
as the $100 that Washington Township is charging this year for students
who want to join an athletic team or participate in an extracurricular
activity.
"The fees are nothing short of a new and equally onerous tax on
families," he said. "People already pay through their property tax to
support public education."
The bill, A-3150, would prohibit schools from charging students a
participation fee. School boards, however, could make families pay for
the reimbursement of expenses associated with equipment and supplies so
long as they provide documentation of the costs.
If a family couldn't afford to pay for the expenses, the school board
would have to waive the charges under the standards of the state's free
and reduced school lunch program, according to the bill.
"Without this (bill), we are allowing such fees to gain momen tum in
school districts," he said. "It's a bad thing to have and will result
in a slippery slope."
Though Washington Township is the only district in Mercer County to
charge an activity fee, the state's School Boards Association knows of
about seven other districts in New Jersey levying similar fees, said
spokesman Michael Yaple.
While Burzichelli said he thinks the fees are a wrongful burden on
parents, the superintendent of Washington Township schools said an
activity fee is essential to keep sports and clubs off the budgetary
chopping block in light of reduced state aid.
"Had we received the funds we expected, the fees wouldn't be
necessary," said Superintendent John Szabo. The district this year
received a little more than $2 million in state aid out of the $4
million that school officials wanted.
As more and more school districts receive fewer state dollars, the
outcome is usually a hike in property taxes, new activity fees, or
both, said Steve Wollmer, New Jersey Education Association spokesman.
"The activity fees are becoming a huge concern at the local level,"
Wollmer said. "But the bottom line is the state has not adequately
funded local school districts for the last five years. There have been
slight increases, but nothing near enough to cover the increase in
costs."
Since the 2002-2003 school year, state aid for New Jersey schools has
increased by 23 percent from $5.7 billion to $7.1 billion. Districts
this year in Mercer County are receiving 4.5 percent of the pot with
almost $326 million in aid.
"We recognize we have an issue in state funding and that's why we're
engaged in special session," Burzichelli said. "That doesn't jus tify
sending a bill home to a parent who is already paying property taxes
for education."
Burzichelli said districts should find other ways to save money,
whether by lowering salaries or cutting administrative positions.
Washington school officials contend they have tapped every cost- saving
measure and say they spend fewer dollars per pupil than most school
districts in the state.
While the average K-12 district last year spent about $11,600 per
pupil, the Washington Township school district spent $10,254, according
to the New Jersey School Report Card.
Meanwhile, student enrollment and property taxes in the district
continue to grow. To counterbalance the increases, the school board has
been trying to ease the burden on taxpayers who don't have children in
the district, said board President David Pethy bridge.
This year the district expects 2,200 students to attend the three schools -- up from 545 enrolled in 1995, Pethybridge said.
"But philosophically, if you're going to have a public school system it
should be all-inclusive," Burzichelli said. "It should be about
priorities and how to make it work with the money you already have."
The proposed bill is being referred to the Assembly Education Committee.
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