What happens when parents owe school districts money?

[Hefe de vaca]

     Just pay what you owe people, just pay what you owe.

   I don't care how they are found out. That kind of anonimity is why our politicians get away with the  same.

[Janet Harrington]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the "hidden agenda" of a couple of these threads. Two old sayings come to mind---"those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and the other "if you have shit on your shoes you shouldn't walk on a white carpet"

There is no "hidden agenda" here, jarhead. This is something that was discussed with me and I just threw it out there. As for your two old sayings, if you are directing that at me, I don't live in a glass house and I wouldn't throw stones. I have other things to use. And as for shit on my shoes, nope, not there either. I have had a pretty calm uneventful life where I pay my bills and my taxes and I have never taken out bankruptcy. So I don't know why you would even say that.

I was contacted via e-mail by a very knowledgeable person that the school would probably go through the Kansas Set-Off program to collect this money. I thanked that person for that information. I had forgotten such a program existed, but when I was EMS director, we used that program to collect unpaid ambulance bills. I remember now that this program will get the money from any state income taxes that might be due a person in order to pay this bill.


If what I was told is true, (which I'm sure it is), I find it amazing that a school district would let anyone get that far in debt without coming to some kind of solution with these parents. So, maybe, it is not the fault of the parents, but the fault of the school for not staying on top of this issue.

[jarhead]

Quote from Janet:
I pay my bills and my taxes and I have never taken out bankruptcy. So I don't know why you would even say that.

Not sure why the 'bankruptcy" was thrown in the mix but if this was directed at me, the last I knew my bills are paid---taxes are paid and I have never filed for bankruptcy !!

[readyaimduck]

remember now that this program will get the money from any state income taxes that might be due a person in order to pay this bill.

Like a garnishment of refund taxes, Janet? 
That would work if indeed the papers were filled out properly by the person who owed. 
Tax evasers (sp) thrive to stall the system in paperwork until 4 years out, then they are hit with a warrant, then they move out of state.

What goes around, comes around...however it does sometimes take years, and the school does need that money this year to operate.
ready

[readyaimduck]

So, maybe, it is not the fault of the parents, but the fault of the school for not staying on top of this issue.

then you are back to the original question of how did it get to this point?  The money or the child's education?

[Wilma]

Are these parents able to pay?  If they are, then it is the school's fault for letting it go so long.  If they are not able to pay, aren't there programs that would take care of it?  I seem to remember hearing talk of such programs when I worked at the school.  There is no reason for a person to not take advantage of it.  I am sure that the family has paid in taxes the same as the rest of us.  This might be one of the better things that our tax money does.  Why not take advantage of it?   

[jarhead]

From what I hear Wilma, it is way more than one family behind on the lunch payments

[george]

If I understand this correctly, Elk Valley raised the mill levy in the past month. I can understand that it takes a lot of money to run a school to educate our children but then they have the hypocrisy to have a lunch Monday, at the local café for all teachers and staff, on the tax payer's dime. Then yesterday, they all met at the school for a steak dinner. The school had purchased, as I understand it, 55 ribeye steaks to feed the teachers and staff, again at the expense of the tax payers. But this poses a few questions.  Does Elk Valley have 55 employees? If not, where did the extra ribeye steaks go? Did the school board authorize the buying of the steaks and the meal at the café? If not, who did? Is it also true that the school fixed breakfast for the same people, on the above mentioned days and it was also provided free of charge? Is this why our taxes were raised? Is it possible to get answers to the question as to why Elk Valley spends $12,000 per year for a cell phone plan? And why do people that have no affiliation with the school (except to have relatives working for the district) have these phones also? Who has the contract with the phone company and appears to make more money the more phones they lease out? As tax payers we have the right to know the answer's to these questions.

[Janet Harrington]

Quote from Janet:
I pay my bills and my taxes and I have never taken out bankruptcy. So I don't know why you would even say that.

Not sure why the 'bankruptcy" was thrown in the mix but if this was directed at me, the last I knew my bills are paid---taxes are paid and I have never filed for bankruptcy !!

No, jarhead, the "bankruptcy" word was not directed at you. I know you pay your bills. I have never seen your name in the delinquent taxes nor seen it on any sheriff's sales. You and your wife have always been good citizens to the best of my knowledge.

[Janet Harrington]

From what I hear Wilma, it is way more than one family behind on the lunch payments

You are correct, jarhead. It is more than one family and several thousands of dollars are owed to the school.