I pick and choose field trips. They cost money and some are a waste of time. Some are necessary for credit so I send my kids to those, but others are of questionable value-- really 17.00 to go see a play at the high school? A basketball game at the local college for 25.00?

Overnight trips in public school are incompatible with my introverted boy and have never and will never be happening, saving 250.00!

And parent chaperones have to pay that sum too. Who has 500.00 to spend on a field trip? (I can't believe the parents line up for this opportunity, but they do).

Many kids opt out. We get emails that beg parents to send their kids and set a goal of 100% participation. But parents need to make the decision.

If you are sending your child to a school that is voluntary, it's a different story.