The costs of going to public school are skyrocketing this year, and students are complaining about the excessive amount of fees imposed on them. Here are just some of the common expenses found aside from real estate taxes:

Common expenses at WHS in 2009

Bus pass: $180 Hot lunch: $3.00 a day ($540 for the year) Calculator: $80 – $160

Athletic fees: $200 or more per sport, $800 for crew Field trips: $10- $15 each School supplies: $20 – $50

The total cost for an underclassman? $1030 per school year, with a bus pass, hot lunch, a sport season, one field trip, the cheapest possible calculator, and a minimum amount of school supplies.

For upperclassmen, there are even more expenses, including:

• Graduation: $75, including all trips
• Student parking: $220 (full year), or $2.00 (per day)

Including some other common student costs, the bill can skyrocket towards $1,500-$2,000:

• Sophomore Semi-Formal: $20-25 per ticket
• Junior Prom: $60-$70 per ticket (plus the cost of a dress/renting a tux)
• Additional sports seasons: $200-$1,000 (1-2 additional seasons)

This year we are facing more expenses than ever. Costs of school supplies have increased due to the economic crisis. Some suggest that schools should take responsibility in providing students with TI-84 calculators and only charge the students who lose them.

Some language classes require workbooks, which if you choose to purchase, can be very expensive. “I hate it!” says an anonymous source, “I never had to pay for my workbooks but now I do. I feel like they’re stealing my money”.

Many people agree that school lunches are also too pricey. “Lunch is very expensive now. Fries were free in middle school,” says junior Basil Halperin. Some just turn away from it. “Yeah, it is expensive, but I just avoid it,” says sophomore Andrew Herstine. Students are also noticing fee hikes in the snack line. “It’s cheaper to buy Vitamin Water at a store,” notes an anonymous Junior. “The school keeps increasing the cost of it, and they just down-sized to smaller bottles. The price is still the same, it doesn’t make sense.”

Assistant Principal Bayard Klimasmith says that kids should not be held back from doing what they want to do because of how much it costs. “Students couldn’t be forced to pay for the place where they were born in,” says Mr. Klimasmith when asked about the cost of school supplies. He says that, “It is clear that compared to kids in Waltham, for example, kids here in Wayland have more privileges, thus have to pay more for them. Though I don’t agree with that. I believe that all kids in this country should get the equal amount of privileges in education.”

Mr. Klimasmith said that we are no longer generating enough tax-based money to give to the kids. When talking about this, he brought up the METCO program as an example. It is a volunteer program for kids in Boston to come to Wayland. This year, there is less funding for the METCO buses. The METCO students are no longer provided with a late bus, which then prevents them from participating in any after school programs. It would cost $200 per day for a late bus to run late for the METCO program. The school, however, is organizing a fundraiser to help these students.

“I wish there were no fees, but just enough to show some commitment, I don’t think choosing types of education should fall on the kids,” says the Assistant Principal. Even though he doesn’t want to enforce such costs on students,  funding is needed to run the school and extracurricular programs. The school does offer a generous amount of financial aid to help the students who need them. There are also all kinds of foundations that support students’ welfare.

“Wayland is the ideal place to be in such economical environment, because the people here are generous and willing to offer a fair share of financial aid for the students in WHS,” says Mr. Klimasmith.