Fee Assistance for any extra-curricular band activity is available through two programs:
HSE MUSIC Alumni Fund
HSE District Free & Reduced Benefits
Applications are linked below:
The HSE Music Alumni Fund
The Royal Guardians want to make it possible for any student with a desire to have the opportunity to participate in our extra-curricular activities such as Marching Band and Winter Ensembles. Unfortunately these programs are costly to provide and because they are extra-curricular the school system provides very limited funding for them. In order to help those families that need financial assistance in order to afford our programs we have established the HSE Music Alumni Fund. This is a protected pool of money supported mostly by our alumni which is only used for the purpose of helping families with financial needs to be able to participate in our programs. Assistance is available to anyone in need - Even if you do not qualify for District Free & Reduced Benefits, you can still be considered for Fee Assistance through the Music Alumni Fund.
How it is funded
Funding for the Music Alumni Fund comes from several sources. One of the primary sources is from graduating families that have a credit balance in their student accounts. Because the guardians are a non-profit, we are not able to refund credit balances to families when they graduate or even allow them to designate another individual to support. Many families who participate in scrip and other fundraising end up with a balance in their accounts. Rather than just absorbing this into the overall program, we now sweep this money into the Music Alumni Fund where families will know that it is being used to help students who have a demonstrated need. It is our way of allowing families to "pay it forward". In addition, families that have gotten used to doing a program like Scrip sometimes choose to continue doing this after their children graduate and with this program they can know that their contributions are going to a good cause. Finally, we offer opportunities for alumni and others to contribute directly to the Music Alumni Fund as a tax exempt contribution.
How families can qualify for assistance
We have a simple form that a family in need can fill out to request financial assistance. We simply ask a few questions about what kind of assistance is being requested, why it is needed and how the family will participate in fundraising and other activities to help us assess how much of our Music Alumni Fund money we can afford to provide. All assistance is given in the form of matching contributions. For instance, we might choose to match $1 for every $1 the family pays and $2 for every dollar the family earns through fundraising. If your family is in need of financial assistance through this fund, please complete the Need Based Fee Assistance Request Form below:
>click here: Royal Guardians Need Based Fee Assistance Request Form PDF<
Fee Assistance form must be submitted before the first payment is due for said activity unless an exception is allowed by the Guardians board. PLEASE SUBMIT THIS FORM DIRECTLY TO A HSE BAND DIRECTOR OR ROYAL GUARDIANS PRESIDENT. ALL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL BETWEEN THE BAND DIRECTOR AND THE STUDENT ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE
HSE District Free & Reduced Benefits
If you qualify for HSE District Free & Reduced Benefits, you are also eligible for an immediate discount of band fees. Please contact Audrey Torres, atorres@hse.k12.in.us, and submit proof of eligibilty to studentaccounts@hsehsbands.com.
The HSE District online Free & Reduced Meal Application can be found on Skyward Family Access under the Food Service Tab. (The application is only available with a parent skyward log in, not a student’s log in.) For more information, please visit: