JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A parent wants answers after she noticed the price for senior photos was different depending on the school her children attended.
The mom said senior photos cost her $900 at one school last year and 2 to 3 times more at another high school this year. She said it’s not fair and she wants to know why.
It’s the senior year for Norma Martinez’s fourth child and as a tradition, she gets their senior photos every year.
Martinez said the first and second child’s photos cost $2,000-$3,000 each.
But the third child attended a different school -- Atlantic Coast -- and the same amount of senior photos cost Martinez only $900.
“And I thought, ‘hmm what’s going on here,’” Martinez said.
But this year, Martinez noticed a difference again with the fourth child.
“The last one is graduating from Mandarin and we are again in the $3,000 (range) for the same amount of the same pictures,” Martinez said.
Martinez said some of her children’s schools had different photography vendors. Some schools have Cady and others have Prestige.
“My complaint is they have two companies and I have experience with Prestige and with Cady and if they have these two companies why don’t they give the parent the opportunity to choose between the two companies,” she said.
News4JAX called both vendors on Tuesday but they have yet to return our phone calls with an answer.
At a time when many things for her family may be expensive, Martinez said she just wants an answer too.
Duval County Public Schools provided the following statement:
“...Parents are under no obligation to use the vendor selected by the school to take yearbook photos. The vendor provides this service at no cost to the family and will also offer photo packages for parents to purchase. Parents have the option to purchase a package from the vendor, choose another vendor, or choose not to purchase any additional photos. Vendors set the pricing for their photo packages, so you may want to reach out to them directly for information about pricing.”
If you are a parent and paid for senior photos, we want to hear from you. How much did you pay? Post the cost of your child’s senior photos in the comments below.