Activities & Equipment - Fee Structure
Advancing Science is now charging for services. Since at least the fall of 2005 we have been trying to warn program participants that we needed additional funding from the state in order to continue providing services to all the teachers and schools in our area. We have urged you to contact your elected officials for support and many of you have done that. Despite these efforts, funding for our program from the state of Pennsylvania has been held level for five years in a row, while costs have risen and other funding sources have dried up. As a result in August 2006 we decided that we needed to begin asking participating schools to help cover some of the operating costs of the program.
The following fee structure outlines what we are charging and also lists what teachers and schools will be exempt from fees for the 2008-2009 school year.
Single Visits and Loans:
Van Visit for half day (1-3 hours of classes) - $50
Van Visit for full day (4 or more hours of classes) - $100
Equipment Loan drop off and pick up - $50
Service Packages:
Service Package 1 - $1,000 (Van visits, equipment loans, curricular material for entire school* for 2007-2008)
Service Package 2 - $1,500 (Van visits, equipment loans, curricular material for entire school* for 2007-2008, plus one class field trip supported by AS equipment, entrance fees to field site (e.g. per student charge at Wildwood) paid by AS)
Service Package 3 - $1,500 (Van visits, equipment loans, curricular material for entire school* for 2007-2008, plus one half-day teacher in-service at your school provided by AS)
Service Package 4 - $2,000 (Van visits, equipment loans, curricular material for entire school* for 2007-2008, a field trip supported by AS equipment, entrance fees paid by AS, and a half-day teacher in-service at your school)
Service Package 5 - $2,500 (Van visits, equipment loans, curricular material for entire school* for 2007-2008, a field trip supported by AS equipment, entrance fees paid by AS, and a full-day teacher in-service at your school)
Important Notes:
- *Only teachers who have attended an Advancing Science workshop may use these resources for their classes (this includes schools that purchase a service package). Priority will be given to new teachers at schools purchasing a Service Pack for the fall 2008 workshop registration.
- All van visits and loans to a “school” for one year are covered by Service Packages.
- If your school received a Pennsylvania Department of Education mini-grant in 2008 that budgeted for service from Advancing Science, you are exempt from fees for the 2008-09 school year.
- Teachers participating in the 2008-2009 Chesapeake Bay Watershed program.
- Lead Teachers who were in attendance at the 2008 Lead Teacher Workshop are exempt from charges for their classes for 2008-09.
- We may be able to offer a limited number of “scholarship” service packages to schools who have made good faith efforts to obtain funding for our services but were turned down. Please contact us for details.