Readers share their opinions on R&B singer Ashanti’s recent $20,000 paycheck from Atlantic City High School.
By: Taren Vaughan
Education is and has always been a testy topic, especially when there is money involved. With schools using worn, outdated textbooks year after year and teachers making not nearly enough money for how much they have to put up with, there can’t possibly be any room to spare a couple thousand on a guest speaker? Or maybe there is.
Singer Ashanti was recently invited to talk with students at Atlantic City High School and compensated in the amount of $20,000. And she put in some extensive time for her earnings. During her visit at the school, Ashanti led sessions, met with students in small groups and was interviewed by the high school’s radio station.
In the world of the rich and famous, that is mere chump change. But for a school system, those dollars can be most useful. As soon as this news dropped, the emails started rolling in. And looking at some of the responses, there appear to be mixed feelings about Ashanti’s recent payday:
“I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Don’t people know that celebrities get paid to come and speak at schools all the time? Yeah true, some of them do it on a voluntary basis out of the goodness of their heart and there are those that only show their faces and dedicate their “precious” time when they are guaranteed a fat check to come. Whether they walk away empty handed or just a few dollars richer, who cares?”
Kiyonna B.
Age: 21
Daytona Beach, FL
“Ashanti seems to be a great person, I give her that. But I’m not so sure that her appearance is worth $20,000. She hasn’t made a decent record in years. No shade but if I were head of a school system, I doubt I would be digging in my pockets to get her to come to one of my schools”
Demaris F.
Age: 28
Oklahoma City, OK
“With the salary that teachers and others in the field of education are making, there is absolutely no room for spending like this. It is still amazing to me how teachers get treated financially when they have one of the hardest jobs out here. If a celebrity wants to speak to students free of charge, then I think that is fine. To me, it shows that they are not about the money but about making a difference. Let’s keep the money in the educators pockets shall we”
Tatiana G.
Age: 34
Marion, SC
“Really, what does a rich a** celebrity need with $20,000 from a school? All the money that they make doing shows, performing at concerts, making guest appearances on shows and everything else under the sun, why would they need that money? Well, in Ashanti’s case, she just might need it since she has been M.I.A. for awhile”
Blake P.
Age: 32
Port Arthur, TX
“The school systems pay people in general to speak all the time. So are we just going to say that it’s wrong when they pay a celebrity versus an author from the school’s community to speak or a doctor, who makes a great salary? I don’t think Ashanti or any other celebrity deserves to be bashed for accepting money to speak at a school. They aren’t the only ones who get paid for giving speeches or taking a few snapshots with students”
Deuanna M.
Age: 25
Augusta, GA
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If you are going to spend that kind of money on a famous speaker, can you bring in someone that is actually relevant.