Mort Park Parents say "NO" to Higher Rates

In these tough economical times, parents of children enrolled at Hillsborough County's Parks & Recreation site Mort Park, are already struggling to keep up with the current rates that were put into affect in 2010.

Increasing these rates for the summer session in 2011 will not only put a hardship in the parents' financial responsibilities, but will cause the enrollment rate to drop drastically. Our parents are upset about the new rates offered. $250.00 per 5 week session per child is not acceptable. Most parents have to work and require the whole 2 sessions totaling 10 weeks for $480.00 per child for the entire summer is out of our reach financially.

The majority of the parents have more than 1 child enrolled, making it impossible to even consider having to pay for these rates. Although there is a scholarship available for lower income families, the rates are still too high for the parents that qualify. $150.00 per 5 week session per child, making it $300.00 for the entire summer program. If the family qualifying has 2 children enrolled, that's a total of $600 for the 10 week session, still too high to even consider having to pay for these rates.

We need Mr. Victor Crist to consider decreasing these rates. As the end of the school year is approaching, we are in desperate need to have our children enrolled in an affordable summer program that would provide our children for a place to be while the parents are at work.