Students’ fee tax parents

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/10/2008 (6224 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tricia Albig was taken aback when Henry G. Izatt School charged her $135 for a mandatory Grade 8 wilderness camp for her daughter.

“I got a letter saying it is mandatory for me to pay $135 because my daughter in Grade 8 needs to attend a camp for school. I believe in this camp they are going to learn many things, one of which is wilderness survival,” Albig said.

“While it sounds fun and all, I believe I just spent a fortune this summer taking my kids on outings doing all this stuff as a family,” said Albig.

“The list just goes on. I have paid a fortune already with school fees, supplies, field trips, year books, pictures, etc.,” Albig said.

She’s far from being alone.

Peter Wall, a single parent in Morris, sent $20 to school with each of his children for a locker fee. His Grade 7 daughter also has to pay $25 for class supplies for her art course.

Arlene Adamyk has three kids at Dr. F.W.L. Hamilton School in East St Paul.

“We were required to send a cheque on the first day of school for $49 per child,” said Adamyk. Each child’s agenda book was $9, craft supplies $15, plays and workshops cost $20 apiece, and there was a $5 charge for the Artists in the School program.

“After having already purchased all of the school supplies and clothing for three children for the school year, I felt having to write a cheque for $147 a big hit. I would rather pay as you go for any necessary additional expenses,” said Adamyk.

With triplets in nursery at Montrose School, Melanie Davidson paid $30 each “for classroom use which includes items such as markers, glue sticks, scissors, film development, and duotangs,” she said.

Out in Anola, Mary DeJong’s son in Grade 4 needed $8 for an agenda planner, $10 for cooking and craft supplies, $15 for shared classroom supplies, and $7 for a music duotang and recorder.

Her son in Grade 6 and daughter in Grade 8 got a break on general student fees, the family rate of $20 each rather than the $25 assessed if there’s only one child enrolled.

Her Grade 6 son needed $100 to rent a band instrument and $10 for a band method book.

Her daughter also was hit for $10 for a band method book, said DeJong. “She owns her own instrument (Grandma happened to have a flute in her basement, bless her), which saves us the rental fee.”

Erin Hilder Ingram paid $100 just so that her son could try out for the hockey team at West Kildonan Collegiate.

Another Anola parent, Nikki Holling-Kostiuk, is watching the dollars fly out the door.

“The students at our school in grades 6 to 8 must choose between band or creative arts. Each choice comes with additional expenses, but clearly band is a more expensive choice for the family. The band fees below include a method book and folder. Clothing to wear for the concerts will be an expense noted later in the school year!” said Holling-Kostiuk.

Karen Kossack paid Transcona Collegiate $45 for what the school described as administrative fees.

Susan Blyo’s twins in Grade 11 at Killarney Collegiate opted to pay $75 each so that they could use the school’s weight room.

Each paid a school fee of $45 to cover lock, locker rental, agenda, printing costs, student led portfolio binder, memory stick, and phys ed transportation, along with $25 apiece for art supplies, Blyo said.

And because one of her sons couldn’t get a course he wanted to fit in his timetable, “to fulfill required course credits for graduation, it was necessary to look to distance education as there were no courses suitable in one time slot.”

That course cost $124.

Carol Nikkel opted to write a $60 cheque for the parent council rather than commit to fundraising throughout the year, but she won’t get a tax receipt.

Her son in Grade 6 at Bernie Wolfe Community School needed $20 the first week for school administration fees.

His music instrument rental runs $34.67 a month, reeds for clarinet cost $15.63, and his music notebook was another $11.50.

Ecole Precieux-Sang charged Heidi Klaschka $20 for her child’s cultural enrichment trips.

Leslie Hanson has been busy cutting cheques in Selkirk.

Her son in Grade 12 paid $20 in student fees and $7 for a locker.

Same bill for her daughter in Grade 10, who also got hit $212.80 to rent a saxophone for band, another $33 for reeds for the sax, and $20.16 for a band shirt. Hanson’s daughter saved $21.85 because she inherited her brother’s cummerbund and bow tie required for band. At the junior high in Selkirk, her son in Grade 8 had a tab of $6 for a locker, $145.60 to rent a clarinet, $30 to play on the volleyball team, and $15 to run on the cross country team.

Finishing off the hit on the family, Hanson’s Grade 4 son needed a $6 planner and a $2 mouth guard for gym class.

Martha and Allan Bradbury sent plenty of cash to Glenlawn Collegiate.

Their daughter in Grade 12 spent $75 on a registration and yearbook fee, $20 for art materials, and $60 to play on the volleyball team plus $65 for team uniform.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca