Changes to school fees to affect everyone

 Shannon LeClair  

Times Reporter

 

Parents will notice a few changes in the new school year, changes that are likely to make most people happy. Previous education minister Thomas Lukaszuk, who is now the deputy premier, stated during the election campaign that he would see standardized school fees implemented in all school boards by the fall. 

In a Metro Calgary article from May 17 it was written that while Lukaszuk’s replacement, Minister Jeff Johnson, plans to establish some standards on schools fees, he will leave the ultimate verdict on costs up to the individual school boards. 

“They have the autonomy to make some decisions locally and one of those decisions is school fees,” Johnson said in the May 17 article. “Every community is different, with different needs and demands.”

The discussions regarding schools fees have made the board of the Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) review their own fees. 

“Our board…sort of did a review of our fees and had elected to lower fees in our district,” said Superintendant of Schools Bevan Daverne for the Golden Hills School Division.

“So our school fees have dropped by about half for next year. Along side that too they have also removed the courtesy rider fee on busing.”

Previously, parents who wanted to find a bus to a different school than the one their children were assigned,  would have to meet the bus along a regular stop, and would be charged a $250 per person rider fee per year.

The board, after seeing what has been happening in other jurisdictions, began looking for the best solution. Daverne said the decision to eliminate the courtesy rider fee and ultimately lower the school fees is in the best interest of the parent(s). 

There have been incidents where paying the school fees can be tough for families, especially with the tough economic times as of late.  

Daverne said there has been feedback from parents, and in some cases paying the fees could be very difficult for them. In general the board has now looked at the fees and felt a reduction was appropriate and found a way to make it work within the budget.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the discount for families with more than one child attending school, but the fees themselves have changed. Daverne also assures parents that by lowering the fees the quality of education their children have been receiving will not be effected.