Lack of fees batters high school classes

Many educators say they respect the spirit of the lawsuit, but added that enforcing the ban on student fees is limiting their ability to provide a high-quality learning experience.

Judy Shalhoub, who has taught culinary arts at Burbank High School for more than a decade, previously charged students $40, money that allowed her to stage demonstrations and food tastings. After changing her course guidelines this year to read “a donation would be appreciated,” just 49 of her 180 students contributed, Shalhoub said.

“Next year, I expect no one will pay,” she said.

Shalhoub has organized a food truck fundraiser set to launch Tuesday that she hopes will make up for the lost revenue. At least six food trucks will park at the Burbank High School basketball courts starting at 4:30 p.m., with 10% of their profits benefiting her program, Shalhoub said.

“I don’t feel resentful, I feel anxious and nervous,” she said of her new fundraising responsibilities. “I don’t know how much money I am going to get. I don’t know how long this gourmet food truck business is going to sustain us.”

Anne Burnett, who heads the speech and debate program at Burbank High, said that event fees sometimes can run as much as $20 per student. Unable to ask students for the money, she is currently covering those costs with funds leftover from last year.

Enforcing the ban on fees is exacerbating a common practice of teachers personally covering costs, Burnett said.

“When we run out of money, it will be out of my pocket; and it is not like we make a lot of money,” Burnett said.

Mathew Schick, director of instrumental music at Crescenta Valley High School, said his program coffers are $3,000 below where they were this time last year.

“We have to choose our words very carefully,” Schick said. “It has kind of made us paranoid, and that is sad, because it detracts from providing an experience for the kids. It adds one more thing to worry about when we teach.”