Senior Class Fees

[Anonymous]

Just came from an angry Senior Class Meeting. A parent stated that she was not going to pay the enormous fee for her child to graduate. The parent informed us to read the DCMR Chapter 22 and read the portion about graduation requirements. Once your read it...I ask how many high-schools actually go by this law?

Also when I looked at the DCPS posted listing of venues that our DCPS schools are using for graduation sites...no wonder the senior class fees are so outrageous. Okay, here me out, I think Anacostia is having about 150 seniors at the most and their graduation is at Constiution Hall. I am assuming that venue cost about upwards to 10k to rent and divide that by 150 students. I do believe Anacostia's newly refurbished football stadium with unlimited seating is FREE.

The average Senior Class fee is about $200.00+

Comparison 32 years ago...from Woodson High School

1978
$30.00 Senior class fee, graduation site was DC Armory, graduation class size about 500

2010
$200.00 Senior class fee, graduation site is the school's auditorium, graduation class size about 125
"I was told the fee was originally $250.00 but the principal said it was too expensive."

Is it a fee or a fleecing?

[Anonymous]

Try dividing $200 by X number of years of free public education (K-12 presumably) --- what does that come out to? I can't do that math in my head, but I suspect it's probably very reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
2010
$200.00 Senior class fee, graduation site is the school's auditorium, graduation class size about 125
"I was told the fee was originally $250.00 but the principal said it was too expensive."

Is it a fee or a fleecing?

So what is the $200 for? The graduation site is the school auditorium -- no rental fee.

[Anonymous]

Just guessing, but I would imagine the fee is for:

Cap and gown rental
Music (if they use taped music that is under copyright then they are obligated to pay royalties)
A/V
Programs (printing costs)
Diplomas (fancy printing costs) and diploma holders (we received our diplomas in leather folders)
Decorations
Honoraria for speakers
Staff? Security?
Rented seating (if they have to bring in extra chairs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just came from an angry Senior Class Meeting. A parent stated that she was not going to pay the enormous fee for her child to graduate. The parent informed us to read the DCMR Chapter 22 and read the portion about graduation requirements. Once your read it...I ask how many high-schools actually go by this law?

Also when I looked at the DCPS posted listing of venues that our DCPS schools are using for graduation sites...no wonder the senior class fees are so outrageous. Okay, here me out, I think Anacostia is having about 150 seniors at the most and their graduation is at Constiution Hall. I am assuming that venue cost about upwards to 10k to rent and divide that by 150 students. I do believe Anacostia's newly refurbished football stadium with unlimited seating is FREE.

The average Senior Class fee is about $200.00+

Comparison 32 years ago...from Woodson High School

1978
$30.00 Senior class fee, graduation site was DC Armory, graduation class size about 500

2010
$200.00 Senior class fee, graduation site is the school's auditorium, graduation class size about 125
"I was told the fee was originally $250.00 but the principal said it was too expensive."

Is it a fee or a fleecing?

It is seriously parents like you who make me send my kid to private school.

Sorry but $200 is nothing. You act like the school should never, ever seek your involvement and it sure as hell better never cost you one damn cent for your kid to get edumacated!

[Anonymous]

20:58 - you are an idiot. $200 is a heck of a lot of money for some people and you should be kind.

[Anonymous]

$200 is a lot to me and my family, too. I can totally understand those of you who aren't hurting for cash not blinking an eye about paying $200 for their child to graduate, but some of can't be quite so blase about it.

[Anonymous]

this cost of the graduation ceremony (venue, security, muscis) should be integrated into the school budget for the year. There should be a rental fee (deposit) for caps and gowns. For diplomas - a basic one = free (sorry - this is part of running a school), if you want a fancy one you can pay for it.

Any chance in getting a local business to sponsor part of it in the future?

[Anonymous]

$200 is a lot of money to a lot of people. Not everyone in this area is rich. I wouldn't mind paying this but I'd need many months of advance notice to save up for it. And if there was a free venue for it like my own HS auditorium, I'd prefer that over some large impersonal arena. But my graduating class was about 120 kids so that worked for us. My college graduating class was just under 1000 so we needed the arena.

[Anonymous]

My graduation was free -but it was kind of ugly, in the backyard field of my HS. Only had to pay $20 for cap and gown deposit. This was in 1993

[Anonymous]

So what happens if some family either can't afford the $200 gradulation fee, or prefers to spend the money on something else (like groceries, medical care, etc.) The Senior cannot attend her own graduation?

[Anonymous]

My HS graduation was on the football field. We had programs printed from the copier at school. The school band performed. If it rained the graduation would have been in the school gym and each student would have been allowed 2 guests. Cost was minimal to purchase cap and rent gown.

Location = upper middle class school district on Long Island

[Anonymous]

Mine was in the back of my high school. I wouldn't say it was "ugly" - it never would have crossed our minds that graduation shouldn't be in the back of the high school. I can't remember if it cost anything, but it couldn't have been more than the price of renting the cap and gown. Oh, yeah. We had to pay a dollar extra to keep the tassel.

[Anonymous]

Just did the inflation calculation, and $30 in 1978 is comparable to about $100 now. Still double.

I have always wondered why DC schools see the need to rent the fancy venue (usually when sitting in traffic near Constitution Hall at this time of year). There always seem to be hard feelings over the number of tickets each family is allotted. Hold it in the stadium and let everyone come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...I have always wondered why DC schools see the need to rent the fancy venue...

i believe size is the concern. to many, it's their last graduation, and the demand is high for seats.