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Article: Pay-to-play: fair or foul? Confronted with rising costs and shrinking funding, districts have come up with the idea of charging students to participate in extracurricular activities. According to Ms. Hoff and Mr. Mitchell, there are much better ways for schools to make their programs affordable.
- Article from:
- Phi Delta Kappan
- Article date:
- November 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IMAGINE the exhilaration as high school students throughout the country suit up for their first practice, polish their instruments, and prepare for their upcoming games and events with high-fives all around. This excitement, however, is quickly replaced with anxiety, even dismay, as many of these same students learn that they must first pay a participation fee, which may mean they will not be able to take part after all. "Pay-to-play" is catching on across the country--sometimes with harsh consequences for students and schools.
No one doubts that the cost of running a school district is staggering. Fuel for heat and buses, salaries and benefits for employees, and ...