Owe fees, no diploma? CPS grads shouldn't have to rely on philanthropy | Opinion

Thirty-five minutes before Marvin Butts was set to graduate, a Hughes High School administrator informed him that he would participate in the ceremony, but he wouldn't be receiving his diploma. He owed $35 in unpaid student fees.

"Luckily, my rich sister was there. I called her rich because she had a job," Butts said. "She paid the money right there on the spot, and I was able to get my diploma. Otherwise..."

That was in 1977. Butts, now the owner of Mr. Bubbles Detailing in Pendleton and founder of the nonprofit Butts Family Foundation, said he was surprised to learn the same thing was still happening to students 45 years later.

Earlier this month Fox 19 reported that half of Withrow High School seniors wouldn't be receiving diplomas on graduation day due to unpaid student fees. Turns out dozens of students at Hughes − Butts' alma mater − Taft and Woodward high schools were also in danger of having their diplomas withheld, too.

Butts and longtime friends Gary Brown and Juliette Jackson have been working on the problem since 2022 when they paid outstanding student fees for a Woodward student so she could receive her diploma. The trio wanted to help more than a single student at one school this year, so they began raising funds in January by selling $10 snack boxes out of Butts' car detailing business. But once they discovered how many students needed help and the total cost, Butts said they knew they needed a new strategy.

"I said we ain't sold enough potato chips. What we were raising wasn't enough to make a dent," Butts said with a laugh. "We were thinking maybe $10,000 at first."

More: 'I'm proud of my city': Donations pay outstanding fees keeping CPS seniors from diplomas

Turns out it would take a lot more. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Pendleton-based Butts Family Foundation raised $55,000 to pay off student fees for Withrow University High School, Hughes STEM High School, Taft High School and Woodward Career Technical High School students, according to Tabatha Anderson, the nonprofit's secretary. Those donations have benefited a combined 277 students at Hughes, Taft and Woodward who were eligible for diplomas but had outstanding student fees, she said. Withrow declined to share the number of students there who benefited.

More than 400 organizations, businesses and individuals stepped up with donations from $5 to $1,000, Anderson said. A last-minute donation from the Joe Burrow Foundation pushed the fundraising effort over the finish line, she said, though she declined to disclose the amount of that donation.

"This effort started off as a sparkler and turned into a Rozzi's fireworks display," Anderson said of the fundraising which began months ago, but really took off over the past two weeks. "This was really a miracle."

It's inspiring and heart-warming to see the community step up in such a powerful and positive way for our kids. I can't say I'm surprised though. Cincinnati has its faults, but generosity is not one of them. Time and again, people across this city have stepped up with whatever resources they have to tackle big problems in big ways. Helping these students get their diplomas shows how, together, we can make life-changing impacts when we let our humanity and not our politics and prejudices guide us.

"The community really came out for this," said Brown, a 1975 Taft graduate and owner of Queen City Cleaning, as he choked back tears. "God directed us here."

Brown, of Forest Park, said he has been on a "spiritual high" since learning enough had been raised to pay all the outstanding student fees. He knows all about trying to achieve great things when the socioeconomic odds are stacked against you.

"We come from Lincoln Courts and Laurel Homes. We come from nothing," said Brown, 67. "We came from nothing, but we became something. That's why I think we need to do more to take care of these kids, because they are the future."

Indeed. That's why I was so troubled when I heard that some students would have their diplomas and transcripts withheld because of outstanding school fees. Graduation is a major milestone, and for some students earning their high school diploma might be their proudest achievement, or even a family first. Walking across that stage and getting handed a diploma is a crowning moment and the validation of years of hard work. To deny that to any student, especially those who might be suffering from economic hardships, just seems cruel to me.

Last year, Illinois legislators passed a law prohibiting schools from withholding students' grades, diplomas and transcripts due to unpaid fees. Democratic state Sen. Adriane Johnson said, "Students are so much more than a set of credits. They are scholars and future contributors to our society, and we should do all we can to further their academic careers and not contribute to unnecessary burdens."

Don't get me wrong. I understand that cash-strapped and underfunded schools charge fees for good reason. Student fees are collected annually by Cincinnati Public Schools to help pay for classroom materials, the district's website states. The fees are based on a family's income and the number of children within that family enrolled at the school district. And over a student's K-12 journey, these fees can rack up if not paid on time, and somebody has got to cover the bill.

CPS Superintendent Iranetta Wright assured me during an editorial board meeting earlier this month that no students are disallowed from participating in graduation ceremonies because of fees and that school principals have discretion when it comes to waiving fees in cases of extreme hardship. However, they do hold their diplomas and transcripts until they pay the fee, she said. Wright said this is the third urban school district she has worked for and they've all operated similarly when it comes to fees.

"There has always been some level of expectation," she said, of students paying fees. "I do think it's our responsibility to know our students and to have discussions with our families. And if there are things that can be waived, I think that that's something to look at. I have mixed resolve when it comes to this, to be completely honest, I think that there are some things that, you know, you're responsible for."

Wright, a first-generation college graduate, worked jobs all the way through high school to pay for the things she wanted and needed, including fees. She also noted her kids had to pay fees too when they were in school.

I get it. Parents and students have an obligation to pay their debts, and many, if not most, do. And we don't want to create a scenario where some parents and students who could pay take advantage of folks' generosity and come to rely on last-minute fundraisers to bail them out. That's why there has to be a better way to ensure that schools get their money and underprivileged students − especially those trying to get into college − don't have their diplomas and transcripts held hostage.

Butts suggested more frequent communication with parents about what is owed, and perhaps even organizing a job fair with local businesses or setting up a program that allows students to volunteer or work to pay off outstanding fees.

"I'm not trying to blame anybody. I'm aiming at fixing the problem," Butts said. "I'm not planning on doing (the fundraiser) next year. I'm hoping this brought enough attention that our school board and leaders will take a look at what can be done and do it right."

It's a problem worth tackling and one I'm sure the smart minds and big hearts of this city could solve fairly easily. For some students getting to graduation day is fraught with enough obstacles without adding the stress of another bill they can't afford to pay. Our focus should be on getting our kids to their future, not delaying it because of unpaid fees.

"All we care about is getting them that piece of paper," Butts said..

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at kaldridge.com. Twitter: @kevaldrid.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Owe fees, no diploma? CPS grads shouldn't have to rely on philanthropy