August 30
...serving up your daily dish.
Glen Ridge's plan to charge high school students $200 apiece to participate in after-school activities gets a great big "F" from the Star-Ledger, which ran an editorial about it today.
Understandable? Sure. The right way for the district to raise money? Not by a long shot. Yes, Glen Ridge residents pay punishingly high property taxes, about $12,432 for the "average" house in 2003. There are few commercial ratables. But state data show the $70,000 in projected activity fee revenue is less than half of 1 percent of the school district's 2003 property tax levy.Adding the $70,000 would raise the average residential property tax bill by $50 or so. Hardly a family budget buster.
Not mentioned by the editorial: the district's financial deal with the devil Pepsi, to take $5,000 from the soft drink giant in exchange for an exclusive contract to put its vending machines in the high school -- with a $3,000 bonus incentive for selling cases of sugar water.
Clearly, the district hasn't thought about the most obvious alternative source of funding: selling grades. Or maybe partnering with tobacco companies to sell grades. Why not a Virginia Slims Valedictorian? Do we hear $20,000? $30,000? Going, going.....
August 30, 2004 in Controversy | Permalink
ugh. Get *over* it already. All you need to do is sell 30 or 40 ads and you have the fee covered.
Posted by: Right of Center | Aug 30, 2004 7:19:30 PM
well, i don't want my taxes raised, on principle, not cost. they are bound to go up anyway, but for this school fee -- if it is 50 bucks this year, then it will be 100 next, and 200+ in years to come. that's the slippery slope of "free" money. and that's real money to me. anyway, you can't keep going to the "well" above and beyond the highest prop taxes in essex county (maybe the state!).
50 bucks may not be a "family budget buster" but i think it is REASONABLE and smart to ask families whose kids are involved in events for an entire school year to help defray those specific costs. It's only about 20 bucks a month for them over the year, and they are getting a whole range of services for that money. they can also then watch how those funds are spent and if their $200 was squandered or used properly. when you specifically pay in, you are more likely to make sure you get something out of it!
those of us without kids now pay PLENTY of taxes to maintain the schools, but contrary to the star-ledger's belief, we are not an unlimited source of funds.
Posted by: Jessica Epstein | Sep 1, 2004 9:27:19 AM
