The first week of school is now coming to an end. I sat down tonight to sign more disclosure statements and write yet another check to a school. I was thinking it felt like I had written a lot of checks this week to the schools so I looked back. Yep, I had. 11 of the last 15 checks were all to schools. So, here's what "free" education means in Utah. Sometimes government amazes me.
7th grade registration fee $90
10th grade registration fee $123
12th grade registration fee $133 (his included PTA membership)
High school parking permit $10
7th grade art class fee $10
Instrument rental fee $60 (or I could have rented on from a music store for $25/mo)
Chemistry class fee $35
Ceramics class fee $30
Physics class fee $15
Wind Symphony/jazz band fee $100
Concurrent class fee (Jacob and Miranda) $70
Miranda’s Spanish 1010 book $148
Jacob’s Humanities book $65
Spanish club $10
Canyons youth Symphony $50
Grand total $838 **
**This amount does NOT include: School pictures, school lunch, school supplies (do you know how many time I have been to the store to buys binders, colored pens, combination locks, etc?), school clothes, gas to drive them to and from school, Jacob’s graduation fees, band tour, school dances (homecoming alone cost Jacob over $200 last year—and they made dinner for the girls), cross country fees, school fundraisers, and 20 other fees I am sure they will find a way to come up with.
**This fee also does not include any out of school activities such as recreation soccer leagues or private music lessons. It also does not include normal expenses related to housing and feeding three teenagers and a growing 7 year old.
Now I know ..kids are expensive...can I go back to just buying diapers and formula? Pleeeeeese!
7 comments:
interesting post. unbelievable! sounds like all that is covered with taxes is the paltry wage the staff makes. and what the heck is a "registration fee?"
Hmmmm! You make a good point. Doesn't look so free! And yes, diapers and formula is sounding like a much better deal!:)
That type of education costs my brother $15,000 a year in Vietnam. Last year they decided to home school because with 5 kids that turns out to be a great paying job for Theresa.
It's actually not the state income tax that pays for education, it's property taxes. If you talk to people in California, they'd probably take the fees and donations over the property tax they pay any day.
Seriously? And I was worried about when both the girls got into preschool and dance, along with Lucas being in a few sports. Oh goodness!
I've actually thought of you several times over the last couple weeks as I've written check after check: "I bet Lindy budgets all this in advance!" I think the deal in Utah is that elementary school is totally free, but middle and high school are not.
Holy cow. And I thought it was painful writing a $100 check for the Pass the Hat fundraiser.
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