Private school ?

[luvmarypoppins]

I am just wondering what your schools policy is on the following:

If a child is receiving financial assistance,aid,scholarship etc. (This would not include a multi sibling discount) and..

there are additional musical instrument lessons offered for a fee, what does your school do?

For example:
1. Make them pay full price for the lessons
2. Offer them a discounted rate since they have their tutition discounted
3. Since they are not paying full school tuition, do not allow them to participate etc.
4. Anything else

Thanks.

 

[golfgal]

In our kids' old school they still had to pay the fee since it wasn't a required course. The lessons, etc. were free but they had to rent the instrument.

In our public schools there are sliding scales for various fees. If you qualify for free lunch you don't have to pay athletic fees, etc. If you get reduced lunch you pay a small portion of the costs.

Our marching band is $800/year, fully self-supporting program. They do work in some scholarships but mostly kids that can't afford to pay do so through fundraising opportunities with the band.

 

[LilyWDW]

They would have to pay the fee. Band and the like were not "required" courses, but were taken by those who wanted in addition to their other classes. As such, it was a personal choice for the child (and their parents) if they wanted to take it. If they did, then they had to pay for it.

 

[tlbwriter]

My child doesn't go to private school, but I know someone who teaches at one, and extra curricular activities such as band are not discounted - scholarships are only for tuition.

 

[AustinTink]

Our private school makes them pay the fee. So, the majority of financial aid kids do not participate in band.

This band thing is quite a racket. Our traveling band director makes $677.50 a year PER CHILD! He has 7 schools that participate in his program. Each school has more than 50 students, some close to 100.

When I told this to my brother who has been a band director for 20 years in public schools he was shocked! He said, "Where do I sign up?"

 

[design_mom]

In elementary, any optional classes (like band) were at full price.

At my high school, there were a number of “band scholarships” available (and some for other activities, too), but they were separate from the tuition scholarships. I think the money for them was donated by alumni who specifically earmarked it for those activities. Some kids had both a tuition scholarship and a band scholarship, but you didn’t automatically get reduced fees for activities because you had a tuition scholarship.

ETA: The actual band class at our high school was free (music elective). The band scholarship could be used toward instrument rental, uniform fee, trip fees if there was a band trip that year, etc. Fundraising covered the costs for the whole band -- a bus to away games, competition entry fees, etc.

 

[barkley]

scholarship/financial aide students don't get reduced fee or free extra curriculars at the private school we use. but our school does not charge for band-it's included.

when the kids get to highschool (9th grade), to get in the band they would have had to already had instrumental experience (no such thing as begining band) and as far as costs associated with band go-there's no charge for participation, and the bulk of expenses are done through fund raising and alumni donations. the kicker is-there are some generous additional tuition scholarships at this highschool that are earmarked esp. for kids who are in band.

 

[ccgirl]

Financial aid is just for tuition. Any extra curricular activities are just that, extra. There are people that pay full priced tuition that have to choose to not join an activity becuase it is just too much money. The school feels a student should not have extra opportunities because a student is on finincial aid. Sometimes tough choices need to be made.

I wanted to add, for things like field trips there is a special hardship fund. A lot of the students on financial aid can't afford to go on the field trips either so this fund enables them to do that.