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Effects of Revenue Caps
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Increases in Student Fees
An issue of concern since the revenue caps went into effect has been the impact on student fees. The extent to which increases in fees are a direct result of the revenue caps is unknown. Of course, some increases over the past several years are a result of inflation.5 This study asked superintendents to estimate the fees paid by the student of a "typical" elementary and secondary student at two points in time, 1993-94 and 1998-99. Because the figures are for the "typical" student, it is logical to assume that the figures provided do not include expenses related to participation in athletics or enrollment in courses that are particularly high (e.g., driver's education). It should also be noted that approximately one-fourth of superintendents did not provide figures.
Table 4 shows districts categorized by the range of fees paid by elementary and secondary students in 1993-94 and 1998-99.
| Table
4
Range of Fees Paid by Families of a "Typical" Student, 1993-94 and 1998-99, Percent of Districts Shown |
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| Elementary
93-94 |
98-99 |
Secondary
93-94 |
98-99 |
|
| No Fees Assessed | 36.6% | 30.0% | 17.0% | 11.2% |
| $1 - $15 | 38.4% | 21.7% | 27.6% | 21.4% |
| $16-$25 | 17.7% | 30.8% | 4.2% | 18.9% |
| $25-$50 | 6.9% | 13.8% | 21.8% | 22.7% |
| Greater than $50 | 0.4% | 3.7% | 9.4% | 25.8% |
Thirty-seven percent of superintendents said that their district did not charge fees to elementary students in 1993-94. At the secondary level, 17% of secondary schools did not charge any student fees. By 1998-99, these values had dropped to 30% and 11%, respectively.
At the same time, average fees during this period increased by about 60% at both the elementary and secondary levels: from $10 to $16 at the elementary level and from $27 to about $44 at the secondary level.
One might expect that affluent districts would be more likely to charge higher student fees or to impose greater increases in fees over time. However, this is not the case; the amount of fees charged and the increase in fees between 1993-94 and 1998-99 is unrelated to the "wealth" of the district (as measured by equalized valuation). District size and changes in the district's enrollment also are unrelated to the amount of fees or changes in fees.
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