- Parents Could Now Fight School Fees
School fees have long been rampant and families had little way to challenge them. Even after San Diego Unified pledged to stamp out illegal fees, some schools persisted in charging them.
Now parents and kids could have a way to fight back — and school districts could take a financial hit if they keep hitting up parents. Under a legal settlement, families could soon get a new way to protest when schools stick them with fees for textbooks, workbooks or the cheerleading team.
The new rules could emerge from a legal settlement after the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state in September over school fees. Civil rights groups argued illegal charges were so common that California hadn't protected the right to a free public education.
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- Guest Blogger: Fact & Fiction About San Diego School Reform
Scott Himelstein is the president of San Diegans 4 Great Schools, a group that is campaigning to change how the San Diego Unified school board is selected. He is guest blogging about its initiative and why he believes it would reform the school district.
These are his views, not mine, so if you have comments, questions or counterarguments, please post them directly to the blog or email Scott himself at scott@sd4greatschools.org. He'll be posting responses and updates later in the day. We'll also have a blogger with an opposing viewpoint tomorrow. -- EMILY ALPERT
San Diegans 4 Great Schools is supporting an initiative to reform the San Diego school board so student achievement, not politics, is the top priority.
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