March 28, 2024

Controversy Over Seekonk School Fees Ends on Positive Note

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The Seekonk School Department notified parents on June 30 that transportation and athletic fees would be implemented in the upcoming school year. Selectmen and parents were not happy about the news and there was controversy about the timing of the fees and the need for them

On August 3, the school committee voted to rescind the fees at the recommendation of Superintendent Arlene Bosco. The fees included a $90 transportation fee for students in Kindergarten through sixth grade living two miles or less from school and for all students in grades 7 through 12, with a family cap of $225 per year.  There were a few exclusions including students in grades K-6 who live more than two miles from school. The athletic fee was $50 and would apply to students playing any sport. There was a $250 family cap.

The school department estimated, according to documents on the school website, that the transportation fee would yield $55,000 in revenue and the athletics fee would bring in $26,850 for a total of approximately $82,000

Voters at town meeting approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2016, which included a 6% increase for all town departments, including the schools.  

Many parents felt that should have been sufficient. “As a taxpayer, to approve a $24.5 million budget, which is a 6% increase over the previous school year, then that budget should have covered everything they needed. To come back a week later and approve fees, up to $475 for parents, doesn’t seem fair,” said parent Colleen O’Halloran. Others questioned the need for the fees.Selectmen Dave Parker noted that the fees were not inordinately high, but what bothered him was how the school department did it or appeared to do it. “If  you had enough for it last year and you got more than a million extra this year, how can you not have enough? That’s what I can’t understand,” Parker said.

“They were supposed to save money on transportation when they contracted with Tremblay’s Bus Company. That’s why they laid off all the Seekonk bus drivers,” Karlene Souto said

Selectman Mike Brady said that more than 20 parents had contacted him, complaining about the fees. Brady told the school committee at their July 13 meeting that he was “disappointed” in the school committee’s decision to implement fees. Brady said he specifically asked during a tri-board meeting whether the $1.2 million increase would be sufficient and whether the committee would seek additional money and he was told no. “I think I and the other members had a right to know that before we went into town meeting with a budget,” Brady told the committee. “If you can’t live with that $1.2 million, then you need to look at what you’re doing,” Brady said

According to school officials, there was a “miscommunication” about Brady’s question because he asked if they were going back to the town for more money.  “We didn’t plan to go back to the town for more money.  We weren’t going to ask to increase the budget,” Grant said. Brady said (in a later interview) that if he had known, he would have made an amendment at town meeting to take $80,000 from the budget

Many other school districts in the state require fees.  Out of 332 districts who responded to a survey from the Seekonk School Dept. regarding fees, 283 charge for athletic fees and 93 responded stating they charge anywhere from $75 to $600 for transportation fees. School officials said the athletic fee was considerably less compared to fees paid for town sports and less than what other districts charge

“We’re significantly less than any of those (other schools’ fees) and we’ve put a family cap on, which a lot of schools don’t,” Grant said.

Why the Fees Were Needed

Bosco said the fees would be put towards the budget, from staffing to professional development, which was cut from the budget totally last year. “We made cuts last year. This must account for those, for new mandates, and re-instatement of positions that we had previously,” Bosco said in an email. She also noted that costs for special education transportation had increased.  (The transportation fees would not have applied to special ed. students.
School officials reported that that the cost to transport a child in Seekonk is $450 per year. The $90 transportation fee amounted to 50 cents per day. Bosco said that “50 cents per day to transport students who do not qualify for transportation services is reasonable and considerably less than fees charged by other districts.” The state does not require districts to provide busing for high school students

School Committee Chairman Ray Grant said the fees were needed “to make sure we had the funds necessary to provide the educational programs we felt were needed.” The town did have athletic fees several years ago and they were reportedly higher than the ones proposed for this year.   “We tried to make it as fair as we could,” Grant said.

What Happened to Reverse Their Decision?

Grant read a letter from Bosco at the Aug. 6 meeting in which she recommended waiving the athletic and transportation fees for the upcoming year

The town was notified in July that “Circuit Breaker,” reimbursement for special education services, and Title 1, a federal support program, would be higher than expected and Bosco was “cautiously optimistic” that it would cover the costs of the fees. The school committee then voted to eliminate the fees this year.

Grant cautioned that if fees are necessary, the school committee may address them again in the future. The committee said they are committed to providing a quality education to children in the district.  Parents who have already sent in their fees will either have their checks returned or receive a refund from the school department.  The refunds are expected to be sent out by September. 

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