Fossil students are unhappy with a change in fee reimbursement, saying it limits their project flexibility in shop classes.

In Poudre School District’s attempt to promote equity, all class fees across the district have been removed, along with the option for student reimbursement, effective July, 1, 2023. Without fees, teachers have been given a set amount of money for student projects. Previously, students could have access to extra materials and reimburse the school for the extra cost.

Connor Barron, a senior at Fossil Ridge High School, thinks removing student reimbursement makes it harder to get extra materials.

“I just think that if we were allowed to reimburse like we did last year, it just would make things a lot easier for all of us,” Barron said.

Students can still buy extra materials for projects but end up spending more money by buying it in bulk, because stores don’t sell it in small quantities. Students aren’t allowed to donate the leftovers and end up with more material they don’t use.

“I did have extra material this year. But I couldn’t really do anything with it because I bought it myself,” Barron said. “It wasn’t like I could just give it to Taylor and say, here’s for someone else’s projects like in the past.”

Kyle Taylor, an architecture and construction teacher at Fossil Ridge High School, brings up the issue of the lack of student reimbursement, and how it can be problematic for those who want to go above and beyond.

“You’re probably going to end up buying 40 board feet in order to get the 26 that you need. They end up with excess materials that they’re paying a higher price for,” Taylor said. “It’s putting a burden on the student financially and through time, now they have to drive to a lumberyard and find the materials whereas they used to be able to walk to our lumber supply room and in five minutes, select the materials that they wanted.”

Herb Beaven, a manufacturing teacher at Fossil Ridge High School, thinks that the fee absence results in less flexibility in the courses. 

“Per student, in terms of a budget, we’re gonna give you 25 bucks a student,” Beaven said. “Okay, that just seriously affected what we’re able to do with you guys.”

The PSD Board has removed the ability for student reimbursement in order to encourage equity among students, but Beaven doesn’t see how allowing student reimbursement is inequitable. 

“If I’m being equitable, I’ll buy the materials, because I can get a good deal on it, and reimburse us for the material cost,” Beaven said. “They won’t let us do that. I don’t see what’s so inequitable about that.”

Beaven mentioned that the majority of shop students took advantage of the reimbursement process when it was available.

“For both metals and woods, 300 out of the 400 students used the reimbursement.” Beaven said.

Weston Stefanski, another senior at Fossil Ridge notes how the lack of student reimbursement leads to students paying a higher price, and having unwanted excess materials, making the process more complicated.

“I probably have at least an extra $80 worth of materials,” Stefanski said. “I’m just trying to figure out what to do with it.”