Fighting for Affordability at Franklin

Reducing Financial Burdens to Enrich the High School Experience

Our project's purpose is to eliminate multiple problems that hinder students at Franklin financially. Our hope is that by eliminating as many of these problems as possible, Franklin students will have a better work/life balance and be able to dedicate time to their studies, recreational activities, and sleep. 

Attending Franklin is not affordable for all students — and we can change that.

Imagine you and your friends wanted to try out for a certain sport — but you couldn't do it, because you couldn't afford the fees, and there was no support for students in your situation. Imagine your whole class is going on a trip, and you'll miss out because you don't have the money. Imagine you're hungry because you can't pay for lunch.

It's common to think that the public school system is far more accessible and affordable for people regardless of their financial situation. Although there is some truth in this, there are a significant structural barriers that exist at schools like Benjamin Franklin High School.

Franklin has selective admissions and a specialized curriculum, drawing the top students from across different parts of the city. Being a public school, however, doesn't necessarily mean it is affordable for everyone. There are many opportunities that students miss out on because they don't have the financial capabilities to take part in them. This exclusion prevents them from fully participating in Franklin life and the full high school experience.

• 35 percent of students in our survey sample said they’re concerned about not being able to pay their balances. Proportionally, this could translate to about 350 total students at Franklin. Not paying your balance can potentially prevent seniors from graduating.

• Almost 40 percent of students had to pass up on a school activity because of its cost, meaning that potentially 400+ students at Franklin could miss out on school activities that contribute to the full high school experience.

• 40% of students had to pass up on school lunch because of its cost. Think about that: though this data represents a sample of only 63 students (6% of the student body), 40% with respect to all students at Franklin would be about 400 students — imagine hundreds of students passing up on the lunches our school provides purely because of the cost.

Note the charts provided show students' approximate balance/class fees. The full data set is available here.

Proposed solutions

• Waive/reduce class fees for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch

• Fund a bus service for Franklin students

• Bring back free breakfast and lunch

• Lower cost requirements to participate in athletics

• Make school trips more affordable

• Provide laptops with better specs (more RAM, especially)

Trade-offs

• Very costly to enact.

• Time-consuming. It is not easy to identify and alleviate cost barriers.

• The school would need to make affordability and equity a high priority, which necessarily means other things we value would get deprioritized.

Benefits

Franklin students would be able to:

• • eat for free

  • have a reliable bus service

  • be able to participate in school trips 

  • have lower class fees

  • be able to participate in athletic activities

  • not be technologically handicapped

Since students won't have to worry about such things, they will have more time overall. Having time for proper sleep and recreational activities, Franklin students will be able to focus on their schoolwork and study time. Over time, this could lead to better scores on average, boosting students' chances of success and the school's scores and rankings.