Canyons Board reviews proposed 2025–26 school fee schedule; district to hold public comment in March

Canyons Board of Education members on Feb. 18 reviewed a proposed 2025–26 master fee schedule and several related policy updates that would change how the district charges for curricular and extracurricular activities.

The board heard a first reading from Business Administrator Leon Wilcox and staff, who said the proposal reflects recent state law changes and aims to preserve extracurricular opportunities while replacing a flat registration fee with targeted charges and clearer spending descriptions.

The changes matter because they shift the district from a flat, general registration fee toward itemized fees tied to specific activities and programs, which affects families’ out‑of‑pocket costs and how schools budget for transportation, field trips and course supplies.

Wilcox told the board the 2024 legislative session removed the district's ability to charge a general registration/activity fee and provided phased state funding for those costs. He said the district expects roughly $850,000 in state support next year tied to that change and has therefore proposed several targeted adjustments rather than a single flat charge.

Staff presented a package of proposals: raising the standard class fee from $30 to $35 to absorb payment‑processing costs; increasing the high‑school maximum fee cap from $5,000 to $6,000 (the cap is rarely reached, staff said); raising the AP late‑registration fee to $40; and adding a one‑time $15 per‑activity bus fee for extracurricular travel. Wilcox said the $15 bus fee is intended as a modest offset to about $450,000 in district busing costs for activities and would cover about $75,000 of that line item if adopted.

Danny Davis, who staff identified as a district director working on the schedule, walked the board through course‑related fee definitions that will change under state bills staff used as a baseline. Staff said the proposed policy creates a pathway that would allow a student to graduate without paying fees by choosing non‑fee courses and that the district already offers pathways that would meet that requirement.

Board members asked for clearer household impacts and more granular transparency from schools. One board member urged staff to provide an estimate of total per‑household costs under the new schedule, noting that activity charges and optional add‑ons can compound. Staff said each school's fee sheet will include a “blue eye” icon linking to a breakdown of what fees are spent on and that the master fee schedule and individual school schedules will be posted online.

The board also discussed procedural next steps. Wilcox said tonight's presentation served as a first reading; the district will invite public feedback via two scheduled meetings (March 4 and March 18) and then return with a final recommendation for approval before the April 1 deadline for fee schedule adoption.

Next steps: the board will accept written and in‑person comment during the March meetings, staff will post school‑level fee schedules with itemized uses, and administrators will bring a final recommendation for board action in April.