Parents bear with school costs

FORT WAYNE -- Anne Marie Lett was stunned by the phone call. A Carroll High School staff member told her if she didn't pay her son's student fees, the school would have to turn her account over for collection.\nAs she leafed through four pages of financial statements, she still didn't know how she was going to pay more than $500 in fees for her four children: $30 for preschool, $107.69 for kindergarten, $161.85 for sixth grade, $222.18 for ninth grade.\nIt's a real-life example of how public school fees can add up but a situation local officials said parents can get help for when faced with the cost of their children's education.\nLett's husband makes $60,000 a year as an engineer, an income she said is hardly enough to cover mounting medical bills for Joe, her 4-year-old son, whose chronic health problems eat up 15 percent of the family budget. Even with primary and secondary insurance, the family makes monthly, sometimes weekly, visits to hospitals in Indianapolis and Cleveland for Joe's disease, she said. The affliction causes muscle weakness, trouble with balance and coordination and seizures.\nAlongside daily living expenses, they've got mortgage and car payments and their own college student loans to cover. There are also medical fees for the three other children and for Lett, whose visits to the doctor for chronic fatigue and a slow metabolism are not always covered by the family's insurance.\nAs a result, student fees can become a burden, especially with multiple school-aged children. The Lett family finally came to a conclusion on how to pay the bills -- a family member gave them money for Christmas, she said.\nOther families across the nation have a situation similar to the Lett family's. Some have taken drastic measures, such as in Texas where a family fought to outlaw fees in court. Indiana's Constitution guarantees free public education.\nThe Lett family's situation is "an extreme situation," said Northwest Allen County Schools Superintendent Steve Yager. "But it's something that school systems across the county have to look at."\nYager said he doesn't recall a time when a parent has not paid their student and textbook fees. "Many times, it's a temporary issue, but there are ways to set up payments," he said. "There are other ways out."\nTownship trustee, churches and the Allen County Sheriff's Department, for example, can help struggling families find financial aid, Yager said.\nWhile help is available for cash-strapped families, they must earn no more than a combined income of $24,680 to be considered, according to guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That's roughly about a third of what Lett's husband earns.\nMelissa Neff, parent of a second- and a fifth-grader at Harrison Hill Elementary School, is in a similar situation. This year, she spent $250 for her two sons' textbook and student fees.\nNeff is a nurse, working for an agency that transports her to jobs throughout the state. Her husband works with a contractor, painting homes. Their combined yearly income is roughly $53,000. They live in an apartment that costs $500 a month in rent. Child care expenses, car payments, utility bills and her sons' asthma medication help keep the family living paycheck to paycheck.\n"By the time I pay for all the other stuff, I don't have time to worry about the other fees," Neff said.\nYearly school fees cover three things: textbook rentals, which are 25 percent of the actual cost of the books, consumables, which include state taxes for textbooks or books the student is allowed to keep, and corporation fees, which pay for materials, supplies and maintenance in the school district.\nThe State Department of Education sets the prices for textbooks and consumables. The school district is in charge of the corporation fees.\nDistricts also charge for other items. A high school newspaper subscription comes with a $2 price tag, while computer use averages $3 a year. At Carroll High School, parents must pay $7.50 for copy paper for school use, $6.45 for a student handbook and $2 for school security.\nStudent fees "are definitely going up," said NACS Business Manager Niles Pfafman. "Things are costing more, and they are more expensive ... We're using twice as much paper than we used a few years ago."\nPfafman said some costs cover items that directly benefit students, such as art and science supplies.\nAn increase in state-required workbooks and other materials also affect parents' finances, said Jim Coplen, business manager at Southwest Allen County Schools.\n"The language arts curriculum has gone to more consumable materials," he said. "If I'm seeing a trend, that would be it. We buy a lot of language arts and reading books and novels that kids can take home.\nFor example, a parent of a sixth-grader at Summit Middle School has to pay $68.75 in consumable fees. One-third of that cost is for language arts, Coplen said.\nTo help families, the Perry Township Trustee offers township assistance, which is awarded to those who meet federal poverty guidelines, trustee Roger Gump said.\n"There's an awful lot of people that are living paycheck to paycheck," he said.\nAssistance also is available at Wayne Township, which comprises a sizable chunk of the central city. Trustee Matt Schomburg said each situation is looked at on a case-by-case basis.\nFort Wayne Community Schools Chief Operations Officer Doug Coutts said one option to help financially struggling families is to pay in installments. This is offered at all districts.\n"We try to keep things as reasonable as we can," Coutts said.\nLett said it was an option that helped her finish paying last year's costs. "The thing is, when you live paycheck to paycheck, you don't know when you are going to find that next $40," Lett said.