If a parent has a student attending high school in Pocatello, Blackfoot or other districts in Southeast Idaho, writing checks to cover an assortment of fees comes with the joy of pending graduation.

    For example if a child is a female member of the senior class in Pocatello and she is taking band, culinary arts, debate and an elective science class, chances are her parents wrote a check for at least $464. It is the price tag for the required and optional activity fees charged by all three high schools in the Gate City.

    These fees are also the grounds for a lawsuit filed against the state of Idaho for failure to provide a free public education as specified in the Idaho Constitution. Former Nampa schools superintendent Russell Joki filed his suit in the Fourth District Court in October and has asked for a summary judgement in his favor. Judge Lynn Norton will hear arguments in the case in January.

    With the state’s financial support for public schools declining in the last decade, student fees have helped keep some programs alive.

    “In a lot of districts if some of this was not self-funded, the programs wouldn’t exist anymore,” said Pocatello’s director of secondary education, Bob Devine.

    He said the Pocatello district fees associated with certain elective classes are only in place to offset specific materials used in that class whether its an industrial arts class or choir.

    When it comes to athletics at the high school level where the cost to participate in one sport is $105 with $90 for the second sport and $75 for the third, the money defrays the cost of coaches and transportation as well as equipment.

    The athletic fees also cover insurance, according to Devine.

    When it comes to athletics, fuel costs have hit schools almost as hard as the cuts in state support.

    “It’s getting expensive,” Devine said about extracurricular activities. “And that’s a concern especially for some families that are less well off.”

    Does this mean that children with limited income families are left out of the loop when it comes to more expensive elective classes or sports?

    Devine admitted it makes it difficult for them.

    “We can’t use district taxpayer money to cover an individual,” he said.

    However, Pocatello school district does offer payment plans and is looking at establishing fundraising events to re-establish athletic scholarships for children with financial needs.

    “Once in a while a person will donate from the outside to cover a specific child,” he said, adding he’d like to see a fund established with donations to cover those who can’t afford to participate.

    “It’s hard to know how many would have participated, but didn’t because of financial problems,” Devine said.

    But the secondary education director said he knows the value of extracurricular activities for students. Studies prove students involved in the a variety of school activities do better academically. Devine said it may keep some students from dropping out.

    And Devine is no stranger to the cost of fees associated with extra events at school. His daughter graduated last year and was a cheerleader during her high school career. The extra costs piled up.

    “With the difference it made for her and her life, I’d do it all again,” he said. “How do you put a price on these things?”

    For parents that have the means to make an extra financial sacrifice, the question is easy. But for others the price of added value in public schools may be too high to cover.

    “It’s truly an investment,” Devine said. “Idaho has not grasped that concept yet.”