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    School forces teachers to pay $30 for soda machine, birthday parties, and greeting cards: 'I don't drink soda and they forgot my birthday the first week of school.'

    Author image for Emmy Pratt
    Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
    Sep 8, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

    Companies often offer small perks as incentives to keep their employees engaged. I have friends who've worked in offices that serve them breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day as an incentive for coming into the office. I also have friends whose office doesn't even have free snacks or drinks, let alone three meals a day. It all really depends on how much money a company has and how much of that money they're willing to put into employee perks. 

    Some perks feel insulting. If you made your company millions of dollars in revenue and they gave you a $5 Starbucks gift card as a "Thank You," you probably wouldn't see that as a reward or a perk, but as a slap in the face. 

    If you work for a state institution, your perks might not be as cushy as the perks of a startup employee. Teachers often have to finance the decoration of their own classrooms and school supplies, and are paid peanuts compared to comparably demanding professions. The biggest perk that teachers get is having summers off, which, to many schools, is more than enough.

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    • There's nothing more insulting than having to pay for your perks yourself. The teacher in this story was told she had to pay $30 for the privilege of having birthday parties and soda machine privileges, but she doesn't drink soda, and they already forgot her birthday during the first week of school. Why should she have to pay for other teachers' birthday parties?

    • A person writing on a whiteboard
      via Centre for Ageing Better

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • This email came this week from the school principal.

      "This email is to serve as a reminder for ALL employees from ESPs to Faculty to Admin, that you all owe $30.00 as part of our overall staff and faculty dues. This money is used for many things included, but not limited to: Coke Machine, Birthdays, Bereavement, Celebrations and Parties. Since all
      via u/flygirlie22
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    • A couple of vending machines sitting next to each other
      via Julian Rösner

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • employees benefit from these items, you are required to pay the fee. Please find the time to come to the financial office to pay with Cash, Check or Card. You can also pay using the QR code provided below. Yes, I will continue to bug those who do not pay. So please, pay the fee."
      via u/flygirlie22
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    • A table topped with a cake and lots of balloons
      via Tahir osman (Unsplash+)

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • For reference I am a new employee, I dont drink soda and they forgot my birthday the first week of school.
      via u/flygirlie22
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    • Artistic-Ad-58 Nope!
      via u/Artistic-Ad-58
    • SunshineMurphy I stopped paying "the sunshine committee" when they decided to pick and choose who got birthday/sympathy cards etc and who didn't. And when they wanted us all to be grateful to them for buying snacks/coffee/breakfast with OUR money!
      via u/SunshineMurphy
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    • dragonfeet1 I still pay mine but I reminded them of my surgery that I got nothing for. I sweetly said I didnt want anyone else to feel as awful as I did getting left out. I am a petty person sometimes
      via u/dragonfeet1
    • Critical-Musician630 Love this! What was their response?
      via u/Critical-Musician630
    • No_Internal9345 "Beatings will continue until moral improves."
      via u/No_Internal9345
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    • lementarywatson We have a $20 social due Weddings, Baby Showers, and Retirement. I got married a few years ago... didn't even get a card so haven't paid it since. Was my 5th year at the school. This is my 7th
      via u/lementarywatson
    • Business_Loquat5658 This is every story on here about this. li never see anyone say they paid into it and got X when they had a baby, funeral, etc.
      via u/Business_Loquat5658
    • lementarywatson Because we are clearly frustrated we are paying into committee for XYZ yet when it was our turn, we did not receive the same treatment as others. I paid the $20 fee for 5 years. Got married, didn't even get a card. I know 3 other teachers who were
      via u/lementarywatson
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    • married that year, all got a card and $ collected or a gift card. It seems like it's more of a popularity contest - at least at my school. If you are super close with the "social club" head members, you are guaranteed a card/collection for weddings/baby showers etc.
      via u/lementarywatson
    • Ok_Map_1325 Exactly this. Reminded me of HS. The popular girls got all of us to pay so they could celebrate themselves.
      via u/Ok_Map_1325
    • Ok-Librarian6629 I'm starting to wonder if this isn't some sort of embezzlement situation. Is there any actual accounting of what happens to the money?
      via u/Ok-Librarian6629
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    • BikeAnnual This is what I'm thinking too. I'd be emailing everyone asking to see exactly where that money is going. If we can be hauled in and grilled over each cent of fundraiser gains and expenses, then they can be asked what our money is being used for. Especially if it's presented as a fee from the school for specifically teachers. In our district, if we order a bunch of T-shirts for a club or team, and the company or manufacturer sends an extra, according to ours, we have to report it so it
      via u/BikeAnnual
    • Ok-Librarian6629 Any place I have ever worked with petty cash had to keep strict records and be "audited" every year. $30 per person is a lot of money, there should be at minimum a spreadsheet.
      via u/Ok-Librarian6629
    • Disastrous-Nail-640 Double check your contract. Contact HR and your union rep (if you have one). It's highly unlikely this is actually a mandatory fee. HI, I'd just email back and ask for the written policy either from our contract or HR itself that outlines this fee.
      via u/Disastrous-Nail-640
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    • Grouchy_Reindeer_227 I'm snarky enough, that I'd ask if there's a PAYMENT PLAN!
      via u/Grouchy_Reindeer_227
    • CharlotteLucasOP "Feel free to put an itemized $2 deduction on each of my paystubs for the year."
      via u/CharlotteLucasOP
    • Virtual_Tutor_8275 I hate when they do this. At my school, they give you shirts that you're supposed to wear the first day for convocation. Then the next day they tell you that you owe 15 bucks for the shirt. They don't even look good.
      via u/Virtual_Tutor_8275
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    • Any-Jacket7974 Our dues that cover these things and teacher appreciation week are $20. We have to pay for our own gifts! However, my school gives five comp hours for paying this amount and I feel that alone is worth the $20. We can use these comp hours when we have no meetings.
      via u/Any-Jacket7974
    • flygirlie22 OP The first week I was there they used the fund to buy a bereavement gift for an employee that retired 10 years ago. I told the principal that I wanted to opt out because I didn't drink soda and they missed my birthday the week before and he said it wasn't "mandatory" but "everybody" would benefit from it. I'm just worried that I will be not seen as a team player. I
      via u/flygirlie22
    • would be happy to contribute in other ways. I just don't feel like I could benefit from paying to fee nor do I want to. I don't know any of these people and feel like I don't want to pay for bereavement fees of people that retired many years ago. Why don't they just ask for people to contribute to a gift that they want to? instead of a party fund there could be a joint effort for a potluck for parties, etc. I just found the language to be very aggressive and a little unprofessional.
      via u/flygirlie22

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    school toxic-workplace birthday soda teachers teacher Party back to school workplace parties high school workplace stories money workplace story fee
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