Salt Lake district outlines new student fee schedules after House Bill 415 changes

Salt Lake City School District staff reviewed proposed K'12 fee schedules and the district's fee-waiver procedures at the board's Feb. 8 study session, explaining how recent state law changes will alter what the district may charge students and how waivers will be handled.

The presentation from the district's legal and administrative team noted that House Bill 415 amended the definition of a school fee, removed fundraising from the definition, limited fees secondary students can be charged, and added IB coursework to the list of postsecondary materials that may be fee-based. Staff emphasized that the fee schedule must list each fee amount and that the board will need to authorize each fee individually before the April 1 statutory deadline.

Why it matters: the district must align its long-standing fee practice with new state law while avoiding unintentional charges to families. Staff told the board the district plans to post proposed elementary, middle and high school schedules for public comment and will include the required statements about fee-waiver eligibility and the appeals process.

District general counsel and operational staff walked through the major changes. Among the highlights they presented: - Elementary schools: staff reiterated that the district will not list elementary fees on the K'12 fee schedule; schools may still ask families to provide voluntary supplies but must disclose those requests as voluntary and provide supplies if families choose not to participate. - Secondary charges: under HB 415 the district may charge for specific items such as instructional equipment or supplies for curricular/co-curricular programs, driver's education, open-enrollment application fees, competency remediation, music instrument rentals, and school activity clothing; concurrent-enrollment, AP and now IB textbooks/exam costs may be charged but remain subject to fee waivers. - Fundraising: because fundraising was removed from the statutory definition of a fee, the district no longer needs to separate fundraising amounts from fees on the public schedule. - Fee waivers: staff reiterated the district's six statutory eligibility categories (income-based, SSI, TANF, foster care, state custody, McKinney-Vento) and noted principals may grant waivers on a case-by-case confidential basis; applying for free/reduced meals will automatically qualify students for fee waivers and the district is working to avoid duplicate applications.

Board members pressed staff on equity and affordability. Board member Juan (last name not specified in the transcript) asked what it would take to provide free lunch districtwide; business administrator Kersley said the district's rough estimate was about $2,000,000 but noted this needs detailed budgeting and may best be handled through the finance committee and budget process. Several members emphasized minimizing stigma in waiver administration and ensuring the online registration and free/reduced lunch eligibility are coordinated so families do not have to file multiple requests.

Staff also described a change on UHSAA athletic and activity fees: schools proposed modifications, including requests from individual high schools (for example, a West High request to raise travel costs), but school leadership recommended keeping travel fees unchanged this year and instead focusing on ensuring Unified Sports receives robust support (uniforms, transportation and a year-long participation fee structure), while relying on foundation and Special Olympics support rather than raising fees beyond the listed maxima.

Next steps: staff will post the proposed fee schedules for at least two public-comment opportunities, incorporate board feedback, and return to the board for formal approval of the policy, administrative procedures and individual fees before the April 1 deadline.