High School Paper and Printer Ink Tax

Recently, I blogged about a "football tax" that a local school is imposing on parents - a pay to play scheme, if you will. The gist of it, was that while voters may clap hands excitedly that their legislators, school board members, etc. are not raising their taxes, the reality is that the draconian budget cuts to state education spending has resulted in some, umm, creativity on the part of school districts. Creativity that involves parents paying more for their child's free, public education. You may not have heard about these creative budgetary maneuvers in emails from your local superintendent. For example, have you heard about the paper tax? The printer ink tax?

At a local high school, teachers have had their access to copy paper severely limited. So, students are required to print worksheets and the like at home - on their printer with their paper - and bring that to school. So, with no new taxes, and no dipping into the Rainy Day Fund, schools are passing their costs onto parents. Sounds sorta like a tax. Or, private school.

Parents, I hope you loaded up on paper and ink when you were getting those school supplies last week.

Next up, the hot topic of The Air Conditioning Tax!

High School Football Tax

It looks like a local school district got creative with the budget cuts, which means one thing. Costs are getting passed on to parents - many of whom vote for candidates who promised not to raise taxes. I've got a series of examples of expenses parents are picking up, and here is the first one - - a (non)tax on football.

High school football budgets have apparently been cut (surprise! I know, I'm shocked, too) and players and trainers have been given empty envelopes to give and mail to family members who are supposed to fill the envelope with money, and mail back to the child. The money will cover some of the gaps in the athletic budget.

Yeah, I'm not kidding. If this sounds like private school, and not public school, you and I are thinking the same thing. Also, this does not sound like equity because schools that are high poverty are not going to be able to cover budgets with parental cash in envelopes.

So, while school board members can claim they did not raise taxes, parents who can count will realize the school is reaching into their pocketbooks, same as if taxes had been increased. It may amount to more than a tax increase, because my next posts are on . . . .

The Paper Tax and The Air Conditioning Tax.

You can count on two things: Texas high school football lives on and somebody has to pay for it.