Myschoolbucks - usurious fees!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread was started in 2015. There used to be a kiosk in our elementary school (Janney) back then but it broke and they took it away, never to be seen again. I recall commenting on this thread back then. Then I used checks. Totally outrageous system. My kids went back to bringing lunch so I haven’t engaged on this in a long time.

I started this thread in 2015 and am amused/annoyed every time it pops up again! My kid refused to eat school lunch, so it's no longer and issue for me, but fight on, everyone else.

[Anonymous]

GUYS IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/lawsuit-alleges-lunch-payment-service-used-in-local-schools-defrauded-parents/2019/09/26/7c714966-daec-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html

[Anonymous]

I am not in the DC school system, but I am in one that uses MySchoolBucks and I hate the fees.

For lunch money, the school does accepts checks, so I have my bank do a bill pay to the food service office. That avoids the fee, though they have to deposit my check once a month.

For afterschool activities, unfortunately, there is no way to avoid the fee. I have to pay the program fee plus a 5% MySchoolBucks fee, which is a lot. In past years, you could send a check, but not anymore. I think it is a scan.

[Anonymous]

we are in fcps and there are no fees to use myschoolbucks

[Anonymous]

DC just announced they're moving to another vendor. Anyone know the fee structure?

[Anonymous]

Why couldnt DCPS get their act together to change vendors before school started?

[Anonymous]

You cannot pay for school lunch with cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC just announced they're moving to another vendor. Anyone know the fee structure?

What happens to the money that is already loaded on Myschoolbucks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You cannot pay for school lunch with cash.

This. In DCPS, you either use MySchoolBucks (until Tuesday) or you send a check to the DC's treasurer's office, which sounds slow and unreliable. Not much choice but to pay the fee.

[Anonymous]

This is the same with Montgomery County. Fees fees fees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot pay for school lunch with cash.

This. In DCPS, you either use MySchoolBucks (until Tuesday) or you send a check to the DC's treasurer's office, which sounds slow and unreliable. Not much choice but to pay the fee.

I did this for years, and it's not slow or unreliable. If you still have checks, writing a check and leaving it with your school's front office is easy. In any case, DCPS won't turn a kid down if there are no funds in the account, so even if it took forever for the check to be deposited, your kid would be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why couldnt DCPS get their act together to change vendors before school started?

Probably because the fiscal year starts October 1.

[Anonymous]

I just added money through the new system and it charged no fee. Hoping that is universal no matter how much you add. I agree totally with the criticism of the fees from before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just added money through the new system and it charged no fee. Hoping that is universal no matter how much you add. I agree totally with the criticism of the fees from before.

OP here. awesome, this only took 8 years!!

[Anonymous]

Since DC changed to a new system, has anyone received an email from [e-mail] stating that your student has an outrageous debt that carried over from last year? Is this happening only at our school (Oyster Adams) or are other DCPS schools students experiencing this?