School year 2006-07 marks a milestone in education funding

NLIS 1
September 1, 2006
(Education)

As students, parents and teachers prepare for the start of another school year, Education minister Joan Burke said today that government�s investment of $6.3 million to eliminate common school fees will help considerably with the financial burden often associated with the return to school.

"Beginning this September, parents will no longer be charged for items commonly referred to as school materials and course materials associated with the provincial curriculum," said Minister Burke. "While parents are still expected to purchase basic school supplies for their child, the vast majority of programming materials provided to the student will not be charged back to the parents."

Prior to this school year, school districts had school fee policies which outlined the maximum fee parents could be charged for materials used in the classroom and for costs associated with co-curricular activities. These amounts varied between districts and between schools. "This year, schools are being provided with guaranteed funding and administrators will know exactly how much money is available each year and can budget accordingly."

The $6.3 million is being used to increase instructional grants to school boards and to cover prescribed workbooks and other consumable materials currently charged to parents. This includes, but is not limited to:

School materials, such as student agendas, locks (including locker rental), school calendars, photocopying, handbooks, accident insurance, student IDs, administrative/library software, and internet/e-mail access;

Consumable course materials associated with the prescribed curriculum, such as workbooks, photocopied resources, exam stationery, computer paper, CDs, disks, magazine/newspaper subscriptions, scrapbooks, along with supplies associated with classroom-based work in art, technology, language arts, science, home economics, and industrial arts; and,

Specific items required by all students to participate fully in classroom instruction, such as recorders required for elementary music curriculum, and "preferred" resources chosen by individual teachers to deliver the prescribed curriculum.

Minister Burke noted that at the end of the last school year, the Department of Education published a brochure which principals were asked to distribute to parents outlining what is and is not covered. The minister encouraged parents and teachers to read the brochure carefully. It is available on-line at www.gov.nl.ca/edu/pub/school-fees-brochure.pdf or through schools and school board offices.

Media contact: Jacquelyn Howard, Communications, (709) 729-0048, or 689-2624

2006 09 01 9:35 a.m.

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