Should a 'free' education cost?

It is that time of year again when I am struck by just how different it was to grow up in Ohio in the fifties and sixties and how it is to live in Indiana in the 2000's.
The charges for attending public school have appeared in the newspaper. Once again, I am astounded by how much a "free" education costs.
The only costs I remember are the charges for one or two workbooks each year and the usual pencils and paper. There were no textbook fees or student activity fees. The only charge for physical education was the uniform purchased in ninth grade that became skintight by senior year.
The article in our newspaper states that the textbook rental costs and fees for first grade is $95. I find that to be outrageous. How many crayons and tablets are these kids going through? Granted books are expensive but these costs seem excessive to me.
I have no idea how people working low-paying jobs can afford these fees. Yes, I know there is "help" available for low-income families but still ... whatever happened to putting our children first? Am I that out of touch with reality?  
Apparently I am. Technology comes at a price. It costs money to ensure that our children are computer literate from a young age. It costs money to air condition the schools — a luxury my generation didn't have.
Of course, I started school in September and ended in late May or early June and during those months we didn't need air conditioning. There were no extended fall and spring breaks, causing the school year to begin in August and end in late June like it does here.
Things were different then.
They were not necessarily better, just different.  
Classes like Culinary Arts Foundation, Fashion and Textiles and Child Development were all lumped together into a class called Home Ec. The only charges were for material when we practiced sewing and even then we could use scraps our Moms had squirreled away.
Attitudes were different then also. Our sixth grade teacher, Mr. Payne, once chased a student out of the classroom, through the halls and down the street. Even the student thought he was justified in this. I don't think he ever caught the kid. If he had tried that today Mr. Payne would be in jail.
We were expected to learn on our own. There were no tutors. Our parents weren't expected to hover over us making sure we did our homework. And speaking of homework, some nights we didn't have any and other nights we spent an hour or two at it. If we devoted more time than that it was because of our own procrastination and we were left to deal with the consequences ourselves.
We were taught personal responsibility along with grammar and basic math. Self-esteem was earned not bestowed.
Things are different now. Things are different here. Here and now we expect our teachers to bless our children with not only an education but with all the morals, ethics and courtesy that children used to learn at home as toddlers.
I don't know how many other states require textbook rental fees. One source said three; one source said ten. At any rate, it is a minority. If we truly value our children and our children's education then we need to find another way to pay for the materials needed to learn.
We need to find a way to make a free education truly free.   
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