Student Fees

Administrative Procedure: 505

STUDENT FEES

Background

The District believes in the provision of a broad general education, containing options for student needs and interests, combined with a common core of learning. While the District will provide an education program free of charge to resident school age students, it may also charge fees and deposits for some goods and services as reasonable and consistent with legislated requirements.

Procedures

1. Educational resource materials necessary for participation in the educational program which is required for graduation shall be provided free of charge.

2. In setting the schedule of fees and deposits, every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that the fees and deposits are:
• in keeping with district-wide guidelines;
• based on the recovery of actual additional costs to the school;
• kept to a minimum cost

3. New student fee schedules for the International Baccalaureate Program must be approved by the Board by January 31 for application the following September.
3.1 Fee revisions greater than the annual change in the Vancouver Consumer Price Index (C.P.I.) must also be approved by the Board and will be available to parents and students at each school.
3.2 Revisions which are no greater than the annual change in the Vancouver C.P.I. may be approved by the Superintendent.

4. Annual student fee schedules for Elementary and Secondary Schools must be approved by the Board by May 15 for application the following September.

5. Annual student fee schedules for Elementary and Secondary Schools must be provided to parents prior to May 30 for application the following September. Information about the fee schedules and any changes must be communicated clearly and made accessible to all parents and students.

6. Principals are authorized to use school funds to cover fees for students who would otherwise be excluded due to financial hardship. A clear and confidential process for requesting fee waivers or financial assistance with school fees will be communicated (As per AP 506 – Hardship)

7. Student fees may be charged for:
7.1 Goods intended for the student to take home for personal use or as a gift;
7.2 Goods such as writing tools, calculators, student planners, exercise books, or other supplies and equipment for a student’s personal use;
7.3 Supplies and equipment which are parents’ and students’ responsibility but are offered through the school as an optional purchase; such items do not require Board approval.
7.4 Activities such as field trips, special events, and extra-curricular activities, where the fees are limited to defraying actual costs of transportation, accommodation, meals, admission and equipment rentals;
7.5 Rental fees for musical instruments;
7.6 Deposits for educational resource materials such as textbooks, reusable workbooks and novels, with the deposit being refunded in whole or in part upon return of the materials, and ensuring the deposits do not create barriers to accessing these materials

8. Parents and students are responsible for providing:
8.1 School supplies and equipment for the student’s personal use;
8.2 Clothing, for example, gym strip, uniforms, for the student’s personal use;
8.3 Safety equipment, for example, safety gloves and glasses, for the student’s personal use;
8.4 A musical instrument for the student’s personal use when enrolled in a course where students learn to play a musical instrument.

9. Compliance with the School Act:
9.1 The procedures outlined in this document will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure ongoing compliance with the BC School Act.
9.2 References to specific sections of the School Act that govern student fees and financial assistance will be included to provide a legal framework for these procedures.

Reference: Sections 20, 22, 65, 82, 85 School Act