A Jan. 29 letter to the editor titled “Public school fees add up for families” presented a misleading view of school fees in the Lake Washington School District.

Yes, special programs such as band, chess club and after-school sports are fee-based. The fees for high school athletics in particular were raised substantially this school year as a means of balancing the district’s budget.

It is worth noting that scholarships are often available to help defray the cost of sports fees for truly needy children.

When the economy entered a downturn, school districts were faced with cutting their budgets. Many districts cut teachers, resulting in increased class sizes. Lake Washington School District (LWSD) instead held a series of community meetings to solicit input regarding budgetary priorities. Based on community input, the district chose to make cutbacks in those areas that would not impact student learning.

LWSD was one of only a handful of area districts that did not cut teachers, and therefore impact class size. Instead, cuts were largely made in administrative areas. Staff development budgets were slashed, and building operating budgets were reduced as well. The district succeeded in cutting $7.7 million from its 2009-2010 budget.

I commend LWSD for a job extremely well done. I am proud to be a LWSD parent.

As for the suggestion made in the “Public School fees” letter that fees for one student could easily equal $750, this is only true if that student participates in multiple high school sports and purchases many extras such as high school year books, expensive photo packages, and so on.

PTA fees average $10-12 per adult, school photos cost nothing unless parents want to order a set, and field trips probably average less than $25 a year.

Most of the costs cited in the letter to the editor represent choices made by families. A low-cost, quality education is indeed available in the LWSD.

Suzanne Zeitz, Redmond