Vancouver parents will pay more for school supplies in September
Posted June 28, 2019 7:29 pm.
Last Updated June 28, 2019 7:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — It’s about to get a little more expensive to prepare your kids for school in the fall if you live in Vancouver.
On Monday, the Vancouver School Board voted to increase school supply fees from $25 to $35 for the upcoming school year.
The fee equips each elementary school student with pencils, books, paper and other necessary supplies.
Board chair Janet Fraser says the increase will be the first in 20 years.
She says the move is necessary in order to keep up with costs and to compensate for provincial funding shortfalls.
“In an ideal world we wouldn’t have to charge any fees at all. But given that funding is tight, this is one way that our board feels we can address the needs in the classroom,” she says.
As in the past, parents who can’t pay the fee will not be required to. Fraser explains that the budget allows for the fee to be waived for approximately 20 per cent of students.
“If we can collect money from the parents who can afford to [pay] then we can channel more funds into the classroom across the district,” she says.
Not all districts charge a fee per student. Some, like the Greater Victoria School District, provide parents with a list of supplies.
Fraser says parents tell her they favour the flat-fee charged by the VSB.
“What we’ve heard is that many families like the convenience of just paying the fee,” she explains. “Another factor is that all the students have the same supplies, so there’s no distinction between the materials.”
