"Schoolkids and their parents increasingly have to pay for public education right out of their own pockets. That's according to a new report from the Legal Aid Justice Center's JustChildren program called "The Price of a Free Public Education," released May 21.

How are schools collecting the bucks? They charge mandatory fees for things like science labs, gym clothes and "instruction." Annual bills in Goochland County schools are $48 per student; the Petersburg schools charge kids for field trips. Here at home, according to Legal Aid, the Westhaven Tenants Association covered $800 of neighborhood students' activity fees at the city public schools last fall.

Angela Ciolfi, author of the report, says that not only is this burdensome for low-income families and those with multiple kids, but it's unconstitutional. She acknowledges that budget woes are behind the districts’ creative fundraising tactics, and that many schools try to make special accommodations for cash-strapped families. Still, the report finds many schools have no formal policy to cover such waivers." ('This Just In,' C-Ville Weekly, May 27, 2008)