Student Fees on the Rise To Help Defray Costs

By Jessica Portner

From parking spaces to pompons, parents in many districts this fall are paying for a wide variety of school services that once came free.

At a time when school districts are pinched between budget cuts, caps on property taxes, and rising costs, many have turned to creative fund raising, passing some of the financial burden to parents through users' fees.

At the Homewood-Flossmoor High School in the Chicago suburb of Flossmoor, Ill., fees for enrollment, gym clothes, yearbooks, and lab equipment can run the tab for parents with more than one child up to $500...