Gov signs Bill ensuring free public education

AB 1575 defines a student fee as any charge or deposit that students and their families have to pay “as a condition for registering for school or classes, or as a condition for participation in a class or an extracurricular activity, regardless of whether the class or activity is elective or compulsory, or is for credit.” However, it does allow schools to ask for voluntary contributions.

According to Calaveras County Superintendent Kathy Northington  "AB1575 addresses fees being charged for classes like the cosmetology class or a lab fee for a biology class.... It will reduce some costs to parents, but it will also increase the cost for schools and districts since students who paid for special classes or opportunities, like sports in the past, the school will have to cover." In addition Northington feels the bill is "open for interpretation and the schools are trying to sort it out."