Cyndi Loza

From $10 for physical education uniforms to $20 for art classes, Sun Valley resident Charles Payne is trying to cope as he pays various school fees for his children.

“They’ve been coming at me all week long: ‘I need this, I need this,’ and I’m like, ‘Just give me a week,’” said Payne, 37, who is the father of four children and stepfather of three. “(But) for my kids’ education, I’ll do anything. Beg, borrow, steal — well, maybe not steal.”

School fees can range from a $20 refundable book deposit to $30 for advanced band classes, said school officials. Fees vary among schools and grade levels.

“There are fees that are associated with consumable materials,” said Nancy Sanger, director of high schools. “But there is absolutely no tuition. Textbooks are provided and teachers’ salaries are paid by the state and the district.”

If parents are not able to afford the fees, school officials suggest they to contact the school’s principal to request a waiver or work out a payment plan.

“We don’t want any children to feel that they are excluded from a program because they can’t afford the lab fees or the supplies in order to be successful,” said Michele Collins, director of middle schools.

Gary S. Kraemer, district chief financial officer, said charging school fees is a way for schools to deal with additional costs, which may be “above and beyond what their normal budget is.”

District schools are given money based on a per-pupil amount. At the elementary school level $59.45 is given per student, $81.46 at the middle school level, $88.78 in high schools.

Kraemer said the per-pupil amount has either stayed the same or been lowered in the past eight years.

“Money just doesn’t go as far as it would have eight years ago,” Kraemer said.

Alexis Payne, 13, said she was still able to participate in her science lab even though she could not afford the $10 science fee.

Sue Smout, science department chairperson at Sparks Middle School, said parents may not have realized that the school will waive science costs when a familt cannot afford them.

“We’re very sensitive,” Smout said. “It’s nobody’s business if you’re getting help or if you can’t afford a fee.”