Calgary school fees need to be capped, parent group says

More and more Calgarians are unable to afford school fees for their kids and the city's largest public school board should put a cap on the growing annual costs, according to a local parent group.

"It's a lot of money for parents to be paying," said Althea Adams, co-president of the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils (CAPSC).

"More and more people are having to ask for (an exemption). A big part of that is just our economic times right now."

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The Calgary Board of Education charges parents a per-student fee for "instructional supplies and materials" that ranges from $15 for kids in half-day kindergarten to $152 for a high-school student.

It also charges between $255 and $285 per student for "noon supervision."

Then there's the transportation fee, if students take the bus to school. That's $335 per student, up from $300 last year.

All told, Adams said the fees can add up to exorbitant amounts for parents with multiple children at a time when many families are struggling financially.

Growing amount of waived fees

Parents facing financial hardship can apply to have fees waived, and more and more have been doing that.

A total of $3.148 million in school fees were waived in the 2014-15 school year, the latest for which the CBE has data. That was up from $2.132 million the year before and $1.837 million in 2012-13.

The Calgary Catholic School Division places a maximum per-family amount on school fees, Adams noted, and she suggested the CBE do the same, as a first step.

"I think one of the best things we can do right now is cap them," she said.

"We especially need a cap per family."

But Brad Grundy, chief financial officer with the CBE, said the fees are in place because there's no other source of funding, as it stands, for those services.

"The services that we provide to our public cost us more than the dollars we get from the province to provide those services," he said.

"If we don't charge fees, we're going to be taking money out of the instructional budget, which we don't think is the right choice."

CAPSC  is an independent, volunteer-run organization that advocates on behalf of Calgary parents with kids enrolled in the school system.

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