How important are school fees

Schools are back in session and Jefferson County parents are busy with the annual paperwork. A part of the start of the year costs for parents are annual school fees. While fees are not mandated by the State or Federal government, they are an important resource that keeps the classrooms stocked with essentials that help provide a clean environment and shelves stocked with materials. In Jefferson County, the average classroom fee is between $15 and $20, with some higher depending on a student’s independent course load. Of a $15 fee, $10 goes to the student’s classroom and $5 to the school that the student attends.

Every year teachers are allocated a small amount of funds to maintain their classrooms but those funds are not anywhere near enough to actually keep supplies on hand for an entire school year. Nationally, teachers spend between $400 and $1000 out of their own pocket on class room materials, with the average coming in just under $500. With out the annual fees, that amount would be much higher. Necessities, like Kleenex, hand sanitizers and soap, are requested at the beginning of the year, however those stock piles rarely last beyond Christmas break. Parents fill supply requests at the beginning of the year, but those supplies are supplemented in the classroom and fees help with those costs. In addition, schools have expenses that are not covered by BEP funds or budgeted monies. Each school has their own costs of toilet paper, telephone bills, playground equipment and special area needs, like art supplies or balls. Paper is also a large expense for schools and teachers, as they use an enormous amount of paper each day. Fee money helps pay for all of the necessities that regular funding cannot stretch enough to cover.

Director of School Edmonds stated that, while fees are certainly not mandated, they are an important part of funding the local classrooms and schools. Without parent’s willingness to contribute in the form of fees, students, teachers and classrooms would run short. He expressed his appreciation to the parents of Jefferson County for their support of their student’s classroom.

School fees have long been one avenue of funding for Tennessee students and are still employed by public schools across the State of Tennessee. Locally, fees have remained reasonable, thanks in part to administrators and school board members that have worked to establish policy that keeps the beginning of school lists and fees to a manageable amount. Director Edmonds said that no one is more aware than the classroom teacher of the financial position of his or her students and every one is working to bring the best educational opportunities to Jefferson County students while keeping the financial impact to families low.