Fee Information Questions and Answers
Q. Why are fees charged in a public education system?
A. Fees are charged to cover the gap between the cost of programs and services and the funding provided by the province.
Q. I can’t afford to pay the fees all at once. What options do I have to pay these fees?
A. The CBE accepts payments using VISA, MasterCard, VISA Debit or Interac Online. Payment, either lump sum or monthly installments, can be made at MyCBE.
Q. How can I register for noon supervision or bus transportation?
A. Online registration using MyCBE is the simplest and most convenient way to register for noon supervision and transportation services.
Q. When do I need to pay my fees?
A. Fees are due starting in October. Payment of school fees can be made online using your MyCBE account.
Q. Why are you charging the student supply fee?
A. The CBE believes every student should have the basic tools they need to learn from the first day of school. As CBE adjusts it processes to align with the new Assurance and Funding Framework, grant funding from the province needs to be directed to programming. For the 2020-21 school year, to support student learning, CBE is introducing a school supplies fee for students in kindergarten to Grade 9. The CBE will use its purchasing power to buy items like pens, pencils, and erasers at a reasonable cost and provide supplies to students instead of families purchasing them individually.
Q. What happens if I cannot afford the fees?
A. No child is ever denied access to an education in the CBE because of an inability to pay. There are several ways to be considered eligible for a waiver, including but not limited to:
- You receive assistance from Provincial Social Services
- Your family is eligible for the Alberta Child Health Benefit
- You are a Government Sponsored Conventional Refugee, your do not have the documents listed above but have a low income and Treaty status
- You have been approved by the City of Calgary Fair Entry Program OR
- You are an independent student living away from home
Applications can be made online at MyCBE.
If you are not approved for a Low Income Central Waiver, check to see if you qualify for an Extraordinary Circumstance Waiver.
Q. Does the CBE use collection agencies?
A. If CBE efforts to collect fees fail, our last resort is sending the account to a collection agency. If you use a CBE program or service, our policy is to charge you for that program or service. If you cannot afford the fees, there are several ways that the fees can be waived. Fees are only sent to collection if families have not declared a financial hardship for services they use and after every reasonable attempt has been made to settle the amount owing. No outstanding balances are sent to collections until at least 200 days have elapsed. Our policies require us to work to collect fees owing from any source. Again, no child is ever denied access to CBE programs or services because of an inability to pay.
Q. What if I received a collection notice in error?
A. If there has been an error, please contact our Finance Department immediately at 403-817-7888, or email
studentfees@cbe.ab.ca. We will work with you to correct the error as soon as possible.
Q. Doesn’t the Education Act prohibit the charging for supplies?
A. The
School Fees Regulation states that “a board shall not charge any fees for textbooks, workbooks or photocopying, printing or paper supplies.” The student supply fee will not be used to purchase or supplement these types of items.
Q. Can my school still ask me to bring supplies even though I am charged this fee?
A. Yes, the school may ask for other materials to be brought so long as they are not the items identified as provided through the student supplies fee.
Items covered by the fee include: crayons, pencil sharpeners, pencils, erasers, markers, notebooks, duotangs, binders, binder dividers, looseleaf paper, pencil cases, kleenex, highlighters, large ziplock bags and pencil crayons.
