Policy Manual

F-130-AR: Student Fees

References:

• F-130 Student Fees
• F-130-BR Student Fees
  
  

1. A student’s basic educational experience shall not be impacted by non-payment of school fees by parents/guardianship/independent student.  Only enhanced services or those related to programs of choice or non-curricular services may be denied to students as a result of non-payment of fees.
2. A division fee schedule will be set using the following process:
   1. Annually, schools must submit a proposed fee schedule indicating existing fees and any increase or new fees to the superintendent for approval;
   2. In determining a specific fee, only the direct costs related to that activity, good or service shall be included;
   3. Indirect costs related to the activity, good or service shall not be included in the calculation of fees;
   4. Once approved by the superintendent the fee schedule is then subject to the approval by the board of trustees.
3. If an additional fee or an increase to an existing fee is needed, principals are required to review with staff, school councils and affected parents as needed.
   1. If the addition, increase or decrease occurs during the school year, a modified fee schedule will be provided to the superintendent for approval.
4. Approved fees shall be listed on the school’s website. Information required when listing the fees include:
   1. Description of the fee;
   2. Fee amount;
   3. Applicable year fees pertain to;
   4. Date fees were approved by the board.
5. A principal must make available to a parent or independent student a summary of all costs included in a fee upon request.
6. The principal may arrange alternate payment schedules for parents so as to accommodate varying circumstances for individual families.
   1. Fees may be waived because of financial hardship.  Principals have the authority to waive school level fees. The manager, transportation services has the authority to waive transportation fees;
   2. School fee waiver requests must be completed annually and are only valid for one school year.  If in agreeance to waive, the principal will instruct the accounting administrative assistant to record the waived fees, record the reason for the waived fees on a hard copy of the student’s fee statement, sign and date the document by the principal and retain the document.
   3. Principals will communicate to parents and staff the waiver process at least once per year.
7. In addition to fees included in the division schedule, schools may levy charges for:
   1. Payment processing costs;
   2. Lost or damaged items or property;
      1. Students will be assessed a discounted fee based on the age of the lost or damaged item.
      2. In the case of willful damage, the principal may assess the student the full replacement cost of the item.
      3. If the fee is to exceed $125, the principal must submit the fee for approval to the superintendent prior to charging the student.
   3. Optional materials that:
      1. Are consumable and become the personal property of the student; or
      2. Exceed the requirements of the basic materials needed for a course.  
      3. Optional fees must be clearly advertised as “optional”, and must not exceed direct costs.
   4. Supervision or substitute teaching costs;
      1. The principal must demonstrate a sufficient need for including these costs in a fee.
      2. The superintendent must approve this cost inclusion.
   5. Tuition for students residing outside Alberta who wish to register in division schools as non-resident or foreign students.
8. A portion of a fee may be dedicated to cover deferred equipment costs.
   1. The portioned amount will carry forward into subsequent school years and will be accounted for as deferred revenue.
      1. Principals are required to determine this amount at the start of the school year and to communicate this to stakeholders as outlined in section 2.6. 
         1. The per student amount will be calculated with the below formula. Where the cost of the item, obtained through supplier estimates, is divided by the product of the lifespan of the item in years and the annual number of students to be charged the fee. 
            1. Fee =    Cost of the item    
                             Lifespan * Number of students
9. Fees must be used for the purpose that was stated at the time they were collected, unless it was explicitly stated to parents prior to the fee being charged, that any residual unused fees would be used for another specified purpose.
10. The principal must prepare an annual report on fees and costs.
    1. The report must demonstrate the use of fees for the purpose they were collected and include all fees identified on the approved fee schedule.
    2. These reports must be made available to parents and independent students upon request.
11. The division will refund fees on a prorated basis, dependent on how much of the fee has already been spent on the child. Principals have the authority to begin the refund process for school level fees. The manager of transportation has the authority to begin the refund process for transportation fees.
12. Unused fees shall be credited against other unpaid fees they may have outstanding, or refunded to the parents who paid them, when the unused balance exceeds 3% of total fees collected for the activity or course and $10.00 per person.
13. The principal shall ensure a minimum of two notices are sent to the responsible parties on fees prior to any accounts being sent to third-party collections.   
14. Parent disputes regarding fees shall be subject to appeal to the associate superintendent of finance. If still unsatisfied an appeal can be made to the superintendent. The superintendent’s decision is final.