Dale Bass – Kamloops This Week
School fees are remaining somewhat stable for the next year, while options are being added at the secondary level.
Among the new courses are high performance for students in grades 8 and 9 at Brocklehurst middle school and fly fishing, volleyball skills and sport officiating at Sa-Hali secondary.
Increased enrolment in the hockey academy at Brock means more community helpers are needed. That has led to a $50 increase to the fee, which now will cost $300 per student.
The fee for NorKam secondary’s international baccalaureate academy will also rise by $50 (to $500) to cover the impact of the weakened Canadian dollar on curriculum updates.
The other specialty academy fees will remain the same for both Beattie School of the Arts campuses, three other academies at Brock (aquatics, soccer and dance), the hockey academy at Clearwater secondary and the Hockey Canada skills academy at Valleyview.
The fees are charged to pay for materials, goods or services required for each program. School District 73 has a hardship provision to help those who cannot afford the costs of the specialty programs.
The district offers dozens of programs that come with enhancement fees, from art in its various forms to trades skills to sports.
Not all schools offer the same choices; Lego robotics, for example, is only offered at Brock in grades 8 and 9, while metalwork is available at every secondary school except Logan Lake and Valleyview.
