On Top of All the Back-to-School Jitters

Back-to-school season brings both excitement and anxiety, but this year parents at my child’s school were asked to donate $350 per student—far more than in past years—to cover programs the district doesn’t fund, like specialty teachers, software, and field trips. While I support my school, the growing reliance on parent contributions highlights inequities: wealthier schools benefit while high-need schools fall further behind. Declining federal and state funding, especially recent cuts, worsens the gap.