Qualitative Data

Qualitative

School fees were unheard of in public schools across America until recently when the economy was suffering. Focusing on Norton High, fees for parking, buses, and extracurricular activities such as sports are still in existence, even after the economy has gained stability. I feel that as a public school, fees should not be required for students, especially regarding transportation. Students who drive to school should not have to pay to park because that is basically paying to go to school, something that does not normally correlate to a public school. I asked six other Norton High School students to see if their opinions matched up to mine.  Out of the six students I interviewed, all agreed that fees should not be required of public school students. Only two out of the six felt sports should have a user fee because they are extracurricular.  Other than that, everyone else agree that sports should be free in a public school. Students who played and did not play sports both had responses such as, “if the school is offering it, they should pay for it,” and “public school should have money to put into these things so students do not have to pay them.” Regarding parking and bus fees, one student said, “user fees and parking do not exist in other towns and did not exist here until recently. Extra fees should not be required of public school students.” All six of the students said that they (or their parents) pay for either the buses or a parking spot. Another student reasoned, “we all have to go to school, so why should we be forced to pay when we park here, the school does not pay for our gas to get here.” Half of the students play sports and the other half do not, however those who did not play sports were still against sport user fees. Norton High should look into revising its school fees, identifying alternative resources to raise funds, and listen to the student body for their opinions.