Don't know about other states, but in my county of Alabama we always have to pay a registration fee for our kids to go to public school each year, all grades and for each child. Along with other "fees" for classes and many of the teachers also expect supplies from each child's parents. Then you also add in lunch costs if your child doesn't bring their lunch. It isn't free to go to public school.
My kids are grown now, but years ago it was $70 for registration each child, each year. Then had to pay a laptop fee of $64, then a lot of the classes had fees up to $35, field trips usually weren't too expensive. Teachers also wanted parents to send in all kinds of stuff for the classroom. One year they even asked for computer paper and ink for the schools printers. So if you have multiple kids in school it can add up. Now just got a letter in the mail talking about another school tax, where they tax homeowners whether you have kids in school or not to help schools in certain areas, but not all the schools, not the public schools my kids went to. It's the folks who live in certain areas of the county having to pay extra to the other areas of the county schools. And that's why some areas of our County are breaking away from the school system and making their own school system for their area. They tax us to death here. We pay tax on food, whereas in Florida you don't. Don't know how it is in other states.
Don't know about other states, but in my county of Alabama we always have to pay a registration fee for our kids to go to public school each year, all grades and for each child. Along with other "fees" for classes and many of the teachers also expect supplies from each child's parents. Then you also add in lunch costs if your child doesn't bring their lunch. It isn't free to go to public school.
In Washington where we left, it began free then gradually one fee after another was added. Definitely not free!
A registration fee?! WHAT?! How much? How is this legal?
My kids are grown now, but years ago it was $70 for registration each child, each year. Then had to pay a laptop fee of $64, then a lot of the classes had fees up to $35, field trips usually weren't too expensive. Teachers also wanted parents to send in all kinds of stuff for the classroom. One year they even asked for computer paper and ink for the schools printers. So if you have multiple kids in school it can add up. Now just got a letter in the mail talking about another school tax, where they tax homeowners whether you have kids in school or not to help schools in certain areas, but not all the schools, not the public schools my kids went to. It's the folks who live in certain areas of the county having to pay extra to the other areas of the county schools. And that's why some areas of our County are breaking away from the school system and making their own school system for their area. They tax us to death here. We pay tax on food, whereas in Florida you don't. Don't know how it is in other states.