Sunday, November 25, 2007

Question to Payment: Should Students Pay for Extracurricular Activities?


What we tend to forget in the sector of after school programs is that it costs money. Even if run out of schools, the costs of salaries, curricular demands, and running facilities increases the costs of running a school district, where administrators seek to cut spending and increase revenues. This is even more costly when after school programs are run out of community centers, where facilities and resources are not necessarily accessible. Recently, schools have shifted the financial burden onto students and parents, by having a fee to participate in a variety of after school activities and extracurriculars.


The problem with this is that it automatically cuts off certain students from participation, specifically students from underprivileged families. Fees can serve as an automatic barrier to a large portion of the students population.


Some schools believe that waivers can solve this problem. However, what exactly fits under the umbrella of a free and public education? Can after school programs and extracurriculars be considered an extension of school curriculum, governed and supported by schools?


Ulitmately, in both scenarios, those from underprivileged backgrounds and low-income areas lose out. Many times, even minor fees are out of reach of students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. However, in admitting need for waiver, this may lead to identifying oneself based on negative social stimgas. It is again another situation where this student would have to identify himself or herself as lacking in order to gain access to resources.

1 comment:

ateachereducator said...

I don't think that the students should have to pay for resources; the program (through its fundings outreach efforts) should pay. If not, then some students lose out...again!