Education Costs Drop for Parents

Province promise to reduce or eliminate school fees means savings for parents.

The provincial government has guaranteed that basic education fees will be reduced or eliminated for the 2017/18 school year. SPERD (St. Paul Education Regional Division No.1) superintendent Glen Brodziak accepts this as good news for parents. “The belief is, and the hope is, that parents will have more money in their pockets.”   At the April SPERD board meeting, discussion focused on the benefits and the complications the fee reductions would bring.

Brodziak clarified that “basic” is defined as “Services, supports, and materials required for students to be successful. This may include handouts, textbooks, mandatory workbooks, electronic educational content, and photocopying.” It will include projects undertaken by all of the members in a class in CTS courses like art, home economics, or woodworking. However, Brodziak cautioned, it will not mean that all costs are eliminated. Parents will be responsible to pay for what is being called “enhanced education services.” For example, he said, the cost of a mannequin head required for a cosmetology course is not part of a basic education, so will fall on the parents. Individual projects chosen by students in CTS courses will incur out-of-pocket expenses.

“At the end of the day, there will be less fees, but it’s not eliminating fees,” Brodziak pointed out.

Brodziak asserted that although ‘basic’ might imply minimal, all Alberta students receive a quality education that is far above ‘basic.’

SPERD Chair, Heather Starosielski, asked how the loss of about $180 000 in fees to the school boards will be offset to cover costs.  Jean Champagne, secretary treasurer for the division, said the government has offered a one year transition funding based on need. SPERD will receive $50.05/pupil (for a total of $158 000) while NLSD (Northern Lights School Division) will receive $9.37/pupil and EPSD (Edmonton Public School District) will receive $132.81/pupil. Brodziak spoke to the discrepancy, saying it reflects school boards’ previous fee structures. School boards that were conscientious and tried to keep fees low in the past received less money than school boards in which students have been charged higher fees. He anticipates that in future years the payments will be more equitable.

The plan will affect every school board’s policy and procedure regarding school fees. The province has set June 1 as the date for the regulation to be in force. Starosielski noted that the timeline is very short for the board to consider budget changes and local income sources. She asked if there is any avenue for parents to contribute to the process of determining alternate school revenue sources, and asserted that “it’s important that trustees start the conversation at schools as there could still be some school fees.”  Brodziak agreed that “trustees and schools have to determine what’s needed for a valuable rural education,” and how much parents can reasonably be expected to contribute financially.