In late July, every STA parent opened the same letter from the administration informing parents that the $625 technology fee, a $225 jump from previous years, was due to the school within a week.

According to Ms. Denise Burton, mother of junior Kennedy Burton, the school did not give parents enough notice about the fee.

‘I assumed [the fee] would be due at orientation, like it normally is,’ Denise said. ‘I was not expecting to have to pay [that money] within two days. [Parents] should have known the due date a month in advance, like monthly bills.’

Denise still believes the $225 jump in price fee is too much. While she is upset, Ms. Caroline Torres, mother of freshman Libby Torres, was not. Caroline said she had known about the fee since registration.

‘[The fee] was not shocking or surprising,’ Caroline said. ‘I knew about the netbooks [being implemented]. I wasn’t upset at all. I would have liked a little more notice [about when the fee was due], though.’

Principal for academic affairs Barbara McCormick said the main reason the letter was sent later than usual was because of the new student managing system, PowerSchool. Once PowerSchool was set up, invoices had to be filled and sent out to parents. The invoices will be sent earlier in future years. McCormick also said this $625 fee will be reoccur every year.

Neither Burton or Torres knew where the extra money was going. According to McCormick, the netbooks cost a one-time fee of $550 each, leaving an extra $75 left over. This extra money goes towards various things including the netbook bag, student software, security software, network software and wireless internet access. The money also goes to rebinding textbooks, paperback novels, curriculum resources and testing materials and services, which include the ACT, PSAT and PLAN. The freshman also have to account for their gym uniform in this fee.

‘No parents have called in angry,’ McCormick said. ‘They have all been curious about [the extra money]. Parents are welcome to call anytime to ask about [the fee].’

As McCormick said, this $625 payment will be repaid every year. Although the school will not be purchasing a new set of netbooks each year, things like software updates and licensing still need to be paid for.

‘We have to continually update everything,’ McCormick said. ‘There are reoccurring costs we have to pay. That’s just the way it is.’Â