Out-of-province public school: it’ll cost you thousands of dollars

Did you know if you go to K-12 public school in a difference province you have to pay tuition?

An Edmonton-born teen who recently moved to the Okanagan found that out the hard way, after trying to enroll at a local high school.

When Sabrina Atwood turned 16, she moved out of her mother’s Edmonton home.

Her parents are divorced and her dad is starting a new family, so Atwood decided to move to West Kelowna, to live with her long-term boyfriend and his mother.

But when she went to register for school, she got a rude awakening.

“They told me there’s no way they can let me in unless I pay,” Atwood said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They told me there's no way they can let me in unless I pay," Atwood said.

And it isn’t cheap – it costs roughly $9,600 per student each year to attend a public school within School District 23.

“Education is a provincial mandate,” Larry Paul with School District 23 said. “Each province funds each education system and they’re only willing to pay for kids that are a resident within the province.”

Her boyfriend’s mother, Jennifer Timpany, has taken over as her caretaker, but is not her legal guardian.

Because both Atwood’s parents (and legal guardians) are still residents of Alberta, she is also considered to be out-of-province, which means she has to pay the tuition fee.

Atwood’s father has written multiple letters to the school district, to say Timpany has the power to act as his daughter’s guardian, but neither he or his former wife have legally given up custody.

“We’re really hand tied on our ability to do anything for the child other than to suggest they return to their home province and complete their education there,” Paul said.

Atwood has a retail job, but is unable to pay the multi-thousand dollar bill. Now with school set to start in less than a week, she’s wondering if she’ll be able to go to school in West Kelowna at all.