By Bob Katzen

This bill Provides a tax deduction for the school fees that parents must often pay for their public school children and for trash pick-up and disposal fees.

Supporters said most public schools levy a variety of fees on their students including fees to park cars in school lots, to enroll in full-day kindergarten, to ride the school bus, to participate in after-school sports and to join clubs and other extracurricular activities.

“[The bill] was originally filed in response to a number of parents who approached me with their concerns about the high costs associated with having their children participate in certain after-school activities or to ride the school bus,” said the measure’s sponsor Rep. Dave Linsky (D-Natick). “This legislation will benefit those who need it most—the middle class. It is my belief that the burden of all of these fees defeats the purpose of a well-rounded public school education and widens the divide between affluent and less affluent parents. Particularly at a time when many of these fees escalate on a yearly basis, the relief that this bill would provide to families is increasingly pressing.”