Waukesha Woman Sets Up Fund To Help Pay Graduating Senior Fees

WAUKESHA, WI — When Melinda Pitchford learned that the Waukesha School District sent letters to students saying they could be prevented from participating in graduation ceremonies if they owed student fees, she was incensed.

"I do not understand how denying a student who has worked diligently and done the work to stand with their peers at their high school graduation, one of the first momentous occasions a person experiences, makes any sense," she told Patch. "It is cruel. It is heartless. It is unconscionable. Fees owed or not."

Pitchford said she realized that helping students walk across the stage on June 8 would be the most productive way to channel her energies, so she set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for students who are struggling to pay off their fees - and who are running out of time.

"Many friends and I have been working together to help families in need meet their obligations. We have already helped 3 students, but we want to help more," her GoFundMe page states. "One single high school has approximately $40,000 in fees owed by the senior class. While some of this may get paid before June 8th, there are 2 other high schools with seniors who have fees owed as well."

Link To GoFundMe Page:
Let Them Walk: A donation drive to help students pay their fees

About 1 out of every 4 graduating seniors districtwide have past-due fees and Waukesha North and West students owe $40,000 alone. Parents recently received a letter stating, "Principals are authorized to deny students with outstanding fee balances from participating in graduation ceremonies."

The Waukesha School District reached out to Patch, saying that their policy states that all outstanding school fees need to be paid prior to a student participating in his or her graduation ceremony. However, that no student in the School District of Waukesha has ever been denied the opportunity to graduate due to unpaid fees.

"It is our goal to work together with families so that each student can walk across the stage on graduation day," Terry Schuster Director of Public Relations and Communication told Waukesha Patch. "Fees owed are communicated with families early on in the student's life, and parents receive monthly reminders with various payment options. We do work with families encountering financial difficulties, and we encourage them to be proactive about applying for waivers."

Melinda Pitchford the issue started when a student told her that they would not be allowed to attend their High School graduation ceremony because they owed fees.

"This sounded odd to me so I spoke with a couple of friends with students at South and they told me that yes, this year they had been informed by letters that this was true," Pitchford told Patch.

She told Patch that she began asking around and posting on social media to see if more students were in a similar position. More and more students came forward, saying they owed money and were sent letters, too, she said.

"When I heard some families say they had asked for waivers and never heard back....that's when I started sharing emails of the School Board Members. And many others did too," she told Patch.

Schuster said that it's not unusual for the fees to be mitigated within the last few weeks of the school year. It is the district's experience that these fees either get paid, or parents who qualify for a fee waiver make the effort to do so.

Patch File Photo