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Student Accounts
Every band student has a "student account" for keeping track of fees / charges and payments / credits. You will receive a student account statement at several points during the year that will summarize your account activity, generally at the beginning of the school year, after major fundraisers, and at any other time as deemed appropriate by the Band Booster Treasurer. These statements can be confusing! Any time you have a question regarding your student's account, contact the treasurer for a translation. You will have several opportunities over the course of a school year to "build up" your student's account. The more actively you support the band's fundraising efforts, the more likely you are to carry a positive student account balance, which can then be used to pay for band-related activities.
Student accounts may be used to fund the following:
- Band Fees (assuming funds are available prior to fees payment deadline)
- All-State Clinic supplement (see band handbook for complete explanation)
- Solo & Ensemble Accompanist Fees ($15) and Additional Entry Fees ($6 each)
- Spring Trip - 6th grade (approx $90) (except initial deposit)
- Spring Trip - 7th & 8th grade (approx $475) (except initial deposit)
- Percussion Usage Fees ($25 per year for all percussion students)
- School-owned Instrument Rental Agreements
Student accounts may not be used for:
- Tuxedos - 7th & 8th grade
- Initial Deposits on Spring Trips
The proceeds from all qualifying fundraisers are split - 65% to the student's account and 35% to the band general operating account. Not all of our fundraisers are structured for individual student account credit. Fundraisers that do qualify for student credit are holiday pies, seasonal fruit, gourmet candies, and spring flowers. These fundraisers are equally available to all of our band students and, because the band student participates directly in the actual raising of funds for the band, we are legally able to take a portion of the proceeds and credit this back to each participating student's account.
As you build up your student's account, that positive balance is yours to use in a variety of ways. (Please note that student account balances cannot be paid out under any circumstances, as that would be an illegal use of fundraising proceeds, and we must be in compliance with IRS guidelines for tax-exempt organizations or we risk losing our 501(c)(3) status.) These are funds that can be applied towards the cost of most any band-related activity, with the exceptions noted above. Any funds remaining in the account at the end of the school year are carried forward to the new school year, provided your student returns to the band program. Positive balances that are "forfeited" by students leaving the program are credited to the scholarship fund, and then used to assist qualified families in paying for the band fees.
It sounds confusing, but it's actually pretty straight forward. The bottom of your statement where it says "Amount due" will either have a negative amount, in which case you have a credit, or it will have a positive amount, which is the balance you owe. If you have a credit, you may want to donate all or part of it to the scholarship fund. If so, email the treasurer and indicate what portion you would like to contribute to the fund.
Please consider the scholarship fund request. We believe that no student should be excluded from band due to financial hardship. Just think how much musical talent might go undiscovered and undeveloped if students at the middle school level were discouraged from being in band because it's too expensive! We actively look for ways to assist band families in need, as these students are just as critical to the band ensemble as any other student in the program. We WANT to keep kids in band -- it's a GREAT place to be!!
One final note about fundraising. Because the primary goal of fundraising is to satisfy the ongoing and increasing needs of our band program, the band boosters do promote several fundraisers during the year that directly benefit the band general operating fund. These include the "Cario Bands Helping Kids" sponsorship campaign, BoxTops 4 Education, lollipop sales, Spirit items, "Boost the Band', and corporate sponsorships. Although individual accounts do not receive credit from these fundraisers, your student still benefits! Every member of the Cario Bands Program watches, learns, participates, and progresses in an environment of musical excellence. And that excellence is supported and enhanced by all that we are able to provide through our general operating fund and our overall fundraising efforts. When we address the needs of the ensemble as a whole, everybody wins!
Remember, the treasurer is your best resource for answering questions regarding your student's statement! Email the treasurer at treasurer@cariobands.org.