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CLEMMONS — In an effort to remove student barriers to success, streamline and update fees with current costs and practices, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education approved new fee schedules for the 2023-24 school year. The changes include increases and removal of fees in the areas of exam fees, uniforms, athletic events, record requests and more.

Here is a summary of the changes that were approved on June 25:

AP and IB Exam Fees: Fees will now be determined by the College Board and IB associations. Currently, thanks to grant funding received from the State, WS/FCS pays those fees on behalf of students taking the respective exams. If that were to change in the future, then the fees would be determined by the appropriate agency board.

Band Uniforms: The policy was amended to remove the itemized list of band uniform components and replaced with a total maximum fee for band uniforms. Some of the items listed were out of date and not currently used by most bands. In many cases, booster clubs or other fundraising efforts cover these costs for students. In the event families do have to pay for these uniforms, the costs should now not exceed $500.00.

High School Athletics Admission Fees: Rather than having a different admission fee per sport, the athletics admissions fees for all high school sports was set at $7 for adults and $5 for students.

Middle School Athletics Admissions Fees: Admission fees were increased slightly to $4 for all participants (adults and students), However, no fees will be charged for outdoor sports. 

Cap and Gown Fees: There is an increase from $25 to $35 to be more in alignment with current prices. 

Records Requests:  Current students may request transcripts for free.

Fees for STEPS AG Summer Acceleration Camps: All fees were removed.

Lab Fees: The $5 lab fees for human anatomy, physiology and zoology have been removed.

Specialized Course Fees: The fees for various specialized courses have been removed. Fees may not be charged for Career Technical Education (CTE) courses as a condition of taking the course, unless the students would like to purchase them for their own personal use. 

Summer Enrichment Program Fees: The fees for the Summer Enrichment Program were increased from $525 to $550 in accordance to increases with other costs. Additionally, beginning in the summer of 2024, the Board will implement an income-based sliding scale for families who may be in need of financial assistance. 

 The fees were introduced publicly in the regular meeting of the Policy Committee on June 13.