Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 12:03     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:I just made my final payment of a $3000 bill to send my kid to the Smithsonian. We're in AZ now and my son's 8th grade trip is to DC. Each payment I made, I thought "The kid was born and lived there for the first 6 years of life. I cannot believe I'm spending this much money to send him back without us."


I grew up in Arizona and we definitely did NOT have an 8th grade trip anywhere much less to DC! Our orchestra bullied our orchestra teacher into an 8th grade trip to Disneyland, which we sold decorative candles to raise money for. (Decades letter I will still occasionally find one of those damn candles.). I am pretty confident the math never really added up and the orchestra teacher ended up holding the bag. We stayed in a really, really, really cheap hotel.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 12:00     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
The t shirts are probably viewed as a safety issue to keep track of the kids. I’m involved in a youth activity and the parents always vote to include a t shirt for safety reasons — it usually adds about $5 to the cost.
My kids are in HS now but pre Covid we definitely took the McPS buses to field trips at air and space downtown and the building museum. They often got lost.
In HS, they just take metro down for field trips so that’s something.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:48     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is why MCPS sucks. We have a 3+ billion dollar budget and have access to acres of free world class museums for field trips, but, because of lack of investment in transportation infrastructure they have to charge families $53 to go to these museums. This means at MANY schools, field trips just aren't planned because some students can't afford (or parents don't want to prioritize it) to go and the cost is too high for it to be subsidized by those school's PTAs.


I hear what you are saying BUT a trip to a museum is not academically necessary. Field trips are a great off site and hands on experience but just not necessary.


That's a sad, sad perspective.


It is the truth.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:44     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
I just made my final payment of a $3000 bill to send my kid to the Smithsonian. We're in AZ now and my son's 8th grade trip is to DC. Each payment I made, I thought "The kid was born and lived there for the first 6 years of life. I cannot believe I'm spending this much money to send him back without us."
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:38     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is why MCPS sucks. We have a 3+ billion dollar budget and have access to acres of free world class museums for field trips, but, because of lack of investment in transportation infrastructure they have to charge families $53 to go to these museums. This means at MANY schools, field trips just aren't planned because some students can't afford (or parents don't want to prioritize it) to go and the cost is too high for it to be subsidized by those school's PTAs.


I hear what you are saying BUT a trip to a museum is not academically necessary. Field trips are a great off site and hands on experience but just not necessary.


That's a sad, sad perspective.


See the disclaimer...prices do not reflect actual costs...

You can probably double it to get to actual cost.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:37     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness how much is a charter bus for a day? Let’s assume 20 kids pay $50 each. That’s $1,000. 40 kids and that’s $2,000…. That seems to me like the bus companies are milking the school system.


I would think 2k is rock bottom pricing. Much closer to 2400+ these days.


$2000 is above the high end of non luxury charter.

https://www.dccharterbuscompany.com/charter-bus-prices


You are forgetting tips and taxes/fees.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:35     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is why MCPS sucks. We have a 3+ billion dollar budget and have access to acres of free world class museums for field trips, but, because of lack of investment in transportation infrastructure they have to charge families $53 to go to these museums. This means at MANY schools, field trips just aren't planned because some students can't afford (or parents don't want to prioritize it) to go and the cost is too high for it to be subsidized by those school's PTAs.


I hear what you are saying BUT a trip to a museum is not academically necessary. Field trips are a great off site and hands on experience but just not necessary.


That's a sad, sad perspective.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:34     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness how much is a charter bus for a day? Let’s assume 20 kids pay $50 each. That’s $1,000. 40 kids and that’s $2,000…. That seems to me like the bus companies are milking the school system.


I would think 2k is rock bottom pricing. Much closer to 2400+ these days.


$2000 is above the high end of non luxury charter.

https://www.dccharterbuscompany.com/charter-bus-prices
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:34     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:This is why MCPS sucks. We have a 3+ billion dollar budget and have access to acres of free world class museums for field trips, but, because of lack of investment in transportation infrastructure they have to charge families $53 to go to these museums. This means at MANY schools, field trips just aren't planned because some students can't afford (or parents don't want to prioritize it) to go and the cost is too high for it to be subsidized by those school's PTAs.


I hear what you are saying BUT a trip to a museum is not academically necessary. Field trips are a great off site and hands on experience but just not necessary.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:31     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ooy. I'd opt out. That's absurd. 53$ could take my kid and I to a nice meal and the Smithsonian on that same day...using metro.



Well - I just took a group of students on several field trips last week from Shady Grove Metro to Smithsonian one day and L'Enfant Plaza the other day. $6.75 each way plus my parking cost (so $20 for me and $13.50 per student), so it's not exactly a steal on Metro either.


Not all of us live as far out as you. So yea when you live miles from a destination it costs more. Lol

My trip would cost about a third of that... because we don't live miles away. Your trip on a bus would cost more.

And herein lies the entire big issue with Mcps, it is too big...county should seriously consider breaking up. See Massachusetts for ex of town run schools and best outcomes. Don't @ me with ohh but the poor towns. Ok so don't live in a poor town and don't be poor.


Please explain how splitting up MCPS makes bus rides to DC cheaper.

"Screw poor people" , nice advocacy.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:19     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
This is why MCPS sucks. We have a 3+ billion dollar budget and have access to acres of free world class museums for field trips, but, because of lack of investment in transportation infrastructure they have to charge families $53 to go to these museums. This means at MANY schools, field trips just aren't planned because some students can't afford (or parents don't want to prioritize it) to go and the cost is too high for it to be subsidized by those school's PTAs.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 10:12     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:It’s a private bus, they always use charters. The last field trip was $40 which was to a baseball game with lunch a private charter.
I understand busses cost money but $53 is astronomical when the venue is free.


Which MCP school was this?
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 09:10     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ooy. I'd opt out. That's absurd. 53$ could take my kid and I to a nice meal and the Smithsonian on that same day...using metro.



Well - I just took a group of students on several field trips last week from Shady Grove Metro to Smithsonian one day and L'Enfant Plaza the other day. $6.75 each way plus my parking cost (so $20 for me and $13.50 per student), so it's not exactly a steal on Metro either.


Not all of us live as far out as you. So yea when you live miles from a destination it costs more. Lol

My trip would cost about a third of that... because we don't live miles away. Your trip on a bus would cost more.

And herein lies the entire big issue with Mcps, it is too big...county should seriously consider breaking up. See Massachusetts for ex of town run schools and best outcomes. Don't @ me with ohh but the poor towns. Ok so don't live in a poor town and don't be poor.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 09:05     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
Anonymous wrote:In all seriousness how much is a charter bus for a day? Let’s assume 20 kids pay $50 each. That’s $1,000. 40 kids and that’s $2,000…. That seems to me like the bus companies are milking the school system.


I would think 2k is rock bottom pricing. Much closer to 2400+ these days.
Anonymous
Post 09/19/2024 09:05     Subject: $53 for a field trip?!
When my DD was in an elementary school with a fairly high FARMS rate they rarely went on field trips, although friends at other MCPS schools were going on several a semester.

I was told it was because some families at the school couldn’t afford them.