Does anyone else's kid in a public school have to...?

Question

...pay for their bus trip to local locations on field trips? My kid has a field trip tomorrow to a place less than 20 miles away, by school bus, and they're making each kid pay $4.00 to ride the bus. NOT for the field trip itself; that's free. My feeling is that the school district gets enough money each year for my children to cover a bus ride to their field trips. Last I knew it was something approaching $7,000 a year per kid, and my kid takes cold lunch, sits in a classroom in a 30+ year old school (at best) that hasn't been substantially updated since and is jam-packed because they shut down another local elementary school three years ago and our school absorbed that student body, and uses well-used textbooks and a few consumable workbooks. We have paid for most of her school materials (pencils, crayons, etc; for a subscription to a supplemental educational magazine required for her class, and other stuff. I know gas is expensive, but with just a couple local trips a year...?

Answer 1

Yes. Our son has had to take $30 for field trips this year. (1st grade) We have also had to supply janitorial supplies. The school is failing and is on their last year of probation. (we have placed him in a charter school for next year!!) We have been excluded from his education (despite repeated requests to be more informed/volunteer/chaperone etc.!) They are focusing only on Math and Reading. (At the beginning of the year we had a conference with the principal to complain and she actually said "We don't teach grammar anymore! He can learn it at home HISSELF!" I almost died!)

But I digress...

I have worked hard to teach my children well and I am tired of money meant to educate our children going to gold letters over the door of the superintendent's office and fancy luncheons for administrators!!

Answer 2

yeah they are always asking for money for something its crazy! I just dont get it really!

Answer 3

No, when my daughter takes field trips we are never asked to pay for the bus ride!  Sure, if i have to pay for the field trip I will, but for the bus ride?  That is ridiculous.  We, too, have been made to buy all sorts of school supplies to make sure the classroom has enough things like glue sticks and tissues and antibacterial wipes....the kind of stuff that you would think the school would buy.  I think that I pay my school taxes, why should I have to pay to put gas in the school bus?

Answer 4

It's very possible that with the gas prices so high, the school district budget is already hurting, so they need to ask the families to pay for gas for field trips.

Pay the $4.00 and stop grumbling.

Answer 5

my son has a field trip coming up also and they asked us to donate $4 also to go towards gas prices, it doesn't sound right but my son enjoys the field trips so what we do is he takes half the amount out of his piggy bank and then we pay the other half.  

I don't think it is right either but what can you do?  I don't understand why they can't give you an option to pay or not, according to if you can afford it or not.  One of the trips I had forgotten to send in money and one of the other parents(in which my son is friends with their child), which I thought was nice.

I would talk to the teacher or principal and see if they can waiver the fee for you.  I know how it is to be straped for money.

Answer 6

Hello i hear you i see where you are coming from our schools budget is in the million they are using used textbooks and everything and i have a aritcle right here from the local paper a woman could not pay for her daughters lunch and they would not give it to them yes school is expensive and they have all this money in a budget i still would like to know wehre is is going cause i went to the high school that my dad went to and he is almost 60 oh and the primary school is the same adn no air conditonier i think most of the budget goes for sports and that is stupid so yes i am right with you i mean i would give the 4.00 but dang are we going to be paying the teachers paycheck soon

Answer 7

Our school covers the field trip, but the parents pay for the bus and drivers.  Since for the bus drivers it is overtime.  It usually ranges from 2.00 to 6.00.  Not a big deal.  When you think about it.  Our school allows the kids 4 field trips a year, times that by 7 kindergarten class, 8 1st grade classes, 6 second grade, 9 third grade, 5 fourth grade and 4 fifth grade classes, that is a lot of busses and a lot of field trips.  So in the scheme of things 4.00 to go to the zoo which costs 19.99 to get into is not a big deal.

Answer 8

We always send in money for field trips. I assume that it's going towards the cost of the trip and the bus expense. Part of being a parent....

7k per kid isn't that much when you break it down to the cost of paying teachers, administrators, bus staff, custodial staff, lunchroom staff, electric and water bills, phone bill, classroom supplies and equipment, building fees, repairs. Imagine the increase they're dealing with when it comes to gas prices. It will be a strain on every school district budget this year.

If you don't think your tax dollars are going to good use, start attending board meetings and get involved. It's your schools, your tax dollars.

Answer 9

That would frustrate me also. I have never had to pay for my child to go on a field trip. Field trip transportation should be part of the schools budget. What if someone really couldn't afford $4? Would they not be able to go? It's just not right to charge the families.

Answer 10

Due to our country's terrible financial crisis, the federal government has had to cut back on spending, because of this the states get less money from the government.  This translates into less money for the state to give individual towns.  Which causes each town/district to have less money, therefore less money for school budgets.  In order to keep schools teachers salaries, books, etc, other cutbacks need to be made.  Maybe the town/school only paid for the buses for the ride to and from school and anything over and above had to be out of the students pockets.  You would need to find out where each cutback is made, because they are so minor that you may not even notice. I would advise you to attend your school committee meetings, you will find ever answer you need there.

Answer 11

In most places, school budgets are unfortunately desperately tight.  It's a shame that they have to charge for that, but I guarantee that the money is being put to good use.  In many school districts, added fees are being used to make up for things like increased special education costs (often mandated by law and certainly the right thing to do ... but also hugely expensive), increased heating expenses, increased medical care costs for employees' insurance, etc.  We haven't paid for the bus on a field trip yet, but we've had soaring fees for the regular bus, and many school districts have had to start charging fees for things like instrumental music or sports, etc.  In a lot of schools, teachers pay money out of their own pockets for needed supplies.  Ask yourself whether you'd rather pay the extra money for the bus or have them take that money out of some other pot -- like firing a teacher and having higher student-teacher ratios, or having less time for P.E. or whatever.

Answer 12

Yes, we have ALWAYS had to pay for the bus for field trips, short or long.  There's not only the cost of gas, but also the busdriver's extra time.   Most school budgets are very bare-bones these days.....the school cannot afford to spring for field trip costs unless you have an INCREDIBLE P.T.O. that does all kinds of successful fundraisers.

Answer 13

yes at our school the kids each have to pay 3 or 4 dollars for the bus ride.

Answer 14

Yes, our school charges for field trips, and some of the charges are ridiculous.  

The latest was a $20 field trip to a historic site.

What makes me angrier, though  is having to supply basic janitorial and office supplies to schools.  Our list this year included 3 books of stamps, 5 reams of copier paper, 2 boxes of #10 envelopes, paper towels, napkins, liquid bleach, hand soap, dish soap, hand sanitizer, and a specific brand of floor cleaner.

Next year, there will be no music or gym in our school, because they "can't afford it"

And our teachers pay $0 for their health care... not even a co-pay.  Name me one other profession with that kind of perk these days.

We gross $5 more per year than it takes to qualify for reduced lunch.  We can't afford this c**p.

Answer 15

Hi. I have 2 in school and have to do the same thing. It is getting a little ridiculous. They have taken 4 trips between the 2 of them that are local. One was not but I had to pay admission for my son to go to the zoo even though I notified the school that we had purchased a membership and that my husband was going to drive to be a chaperon so he could show the card. The money issue is ridiculous as well. My boys are in an old school as well and they seem to have the money to plant flowers along the walkways and remodel the office but they are using materials that are falling apart. It is getting a little ridiculous the items children are required to bring into the classroom now as well. Some of the things we had to get this year are post its and pens. Both of those are for the teacher b/c my children haven't used them. That doesn't seem right to me. We are required to send our children to school by law but it is just so expensive to do so now. And they are so picky on the items that they need. It used to be just loose leaf paper and binders then you were set but now it's like you are preparing for the end of the world. Well sorry if this was a little long and a little off the main subject. Just know you aren't alone in the though that the system is a little backward. Have a nice one!

Answer 16

Our kids do not have to pay to ride the bus for field trips however they have class dues at the beginning of each year ( $40 per student).  I understand where you are coming from you send your kids to a public school that is funded by your tax dollars and then still pay out a small fortune over the year in all the extras.  This year my oldest came home with a note that she needed $45 to go toward the expense of new band uniforms.  The school board would only allot so much money for the uniforms so the kids had to pay the rest and that was the amount per student (band students)  It wasnt that I had a problem with helping buy the uniform it was that some of the kids couldnt afford the money but it was pay it or quit band.  It is sad what the schools are coming to.

Answer 17

We have always had to pay for the bus expense. I thought that was normal. There is a whole lot more to running a school that you are missing. Schools are frightfully underfunded. The money for extras simply isn't there. Be grateful that your kids teachers are taking them somewhere. Kids love field trips and it really help revitalize learning for them.

Answer 18

When I was in school I remember my mom paying for me to go on field trips. I don't know if it was for gas or for the trip itself since schools usually get dicounted rates. I do know that we've paid for our kids field trips but the permission slip has always stated it was for the cost of the trip. We live in a small town and the school does not have alot of money so I imagine it is for gas. We home school now, its almost cheaper to do so after all the fees and supplies you have to pay for these days.

Answer 19

Our local schools have never been the one to pay for the bussing on field trips...it's always covered by the parent teacher group through fundraiser money.  They used to also cover part (if not all) of the cost of admission, but with gas prices the way they are, they just can't do that now.  If you don't have a strong pta group, I could see how you would be required to cough up the money yourself.

Answer 20

4.00 is not much to ask considering the bus most likely takes diesel  which is 4.50 a gallon  and probably costs well over 100 dollars to fill it up..  I hate to tell you but if they closed down another elementary school  they DON'T have the money so its not so much to ask just pay the 4 bucks or  if you are really that cheap  then dont send her to school tomorrow call her off sick and she can sit at home and be upset because her mom wouldnt pay the 4.00 for her to join the rest of her class and go on  a fieldtrip

Answer 21

It cost me 8 dollars for my daughter field trip. 5 dollars for the butterfly house and 3.00 for the Lama farm. I don't' think we had to pay for the bus. I had to pay to chaperon also.