Districts using collection agencies to get school fees

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Districts using collection agencies to get school fees
In Huber Heights, parents can volunteer for six-hour shifts to pay off fees and other school expenses.
By Christopher Magan

Staff Writer

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Ohio law gives every school-age child the right to a public education, but allows school districts to charge parents for expenses above the cost of textbooks.

Those fees raise thousands for districts each year, often paying for supplies and supplemental instructional materials.

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Click to enlargeTo make sure those fees are paid, some Ohio school districts are enlisting collection agencies to get parents to pay up.

"Schools are considering debt collections and that is something new for public education," said Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Board Association.

Collection rates vary by school district and although districts don't like to publicize it some are turning to companies like Transworld Systems to collect unpaid fees, said Amanda Levy, marketing manager for OSBA.

The company specializes in less intimidating, "softer" collection methods, Levy said. "It doesn't make parents feel as alienated," she said.

The OSBA-endorsed agency's Web site boasts it has collected billions for various clients over the past five years. The Girl Scouts of America use the service to collect delinquent cookie money.

It's unclear if any Miami Valley schools are using Transworld, but some are looking for alternative methods to collect fees.

One option is PaySchools, a service that allows parents to pay school fees on-line with a credit card, Levy said. And in Huber Heights schools, parents can volunteer for six-hour shifts at a school-sponsored bingo game to pay off fees and other school expenses.

Unpaid fees follow students through each grade. Districts can withhold grade cards, transcripts and bar students with unpaid fees from graduation ceremonies. Ohio law prohibits districts from withholding diplomas, according to the Ohio Department of Education.