L.A. School District Rescinds Plan To Charge Athletes for Tranportation
L.A. public schools superintendent Ramon Cortines this week overturned a controversial district decision that would have charged parents of athletes $24 a year for game-day transportation. 
"I was livid this morning. ... I was not aware of this," Cortines told the Daily Breeze on Thursday.
In 1984 the state Supreme Court ruled that charging mandatory fees for extracurricular activities was a violation of California's constitution. Though $24 is a relatively small fee compared to what other school districts charge, the fee can be steep for low-income families.
"There may be schools where students and families can pay for this, but that won't be at every school. ... For me this is an issue of equity," Cortines said.
Though athletes are exempt from the fee, the Los Angeles Unified School District still needs to figure out a way to close a $650,000 budget gap.
"We will have to find a more cost-efficient way to deliver services and consolidate routes. But there is no way, during these tough economic times, that I am going to put this cloud of burden over our families," Cortines said.
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