Financials
STUDENT ACCOUNT PAYMENT POLICY
STUDENT ACCOUNTS
Students are assigned individual accounts in our online financial system. All payments will be first applied to outstanding balances from the previous year before being applied to current year expenses. The accounts are used to bill and collect for anticipated student expenses for the school year. Each student’s account must be paid in full by March 6th, 2025 for the student to be eligible to attend the spring trip.
ANTICIPATED STUDENT EXPENSES
Below are the anticipated expenses for the 24-25 school year. While we have done our best to estimate the expenses they are subject to change.
IMPORTANT: Brass, Wind and Percussionists MUST participate in the District VII Music Performance Assessment & Festival to qualify to participate in the Spring Trip. The payments on the student account can be paid in installments. It is highly recommended to divide the amount by 6 or 7 and pay that amount monthly.
The Eldorado Band Program has no hidden expenses. When your student boards the bus for a football game or a trip out of town, all expenses such as meals, lodging and transportation are covered. Students must provide personal spending money for snacks or souvenirs.
BREAKDOWN OF COSTS
The fee schedule below represents the estimated costs for the 24-25 season. These estimates are provided in good faith that they are realistic, and we strive to ensure we stick to these numbers. However, there could be small adjustments to these numbers once actual costs are realized, especially with respect to direct student charges. These numbers also do not represent any spring trip costs or assessment registration fees (such as all-state and solo & ensemble).
FIXED COST ITEMS AND PAYMENT
You will be assigned costs based on your student’s participation group shown above in the breakdown of costs. The costs will be billed in full to your student account, but can be paid in part throughout the year.
SPRING TRIP CHARGE
Spring Trip payments will be billed in full to your student account. The costs will be billed in full to your student account, but can be paid in part throughout the year. All Fixed, Direct, and Spring Trip items must be paid on time and in full by March 6, 2025 in order to maintain eligibility for travel on the Spring Trip.
PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS
If you need to make arrangements for making payments to your account please contact the Eldorado Band Booster Treasurer by emailing your message to treasurer@eldorado.band (no text messages please). Briefly explain your situation and the Treasurer will contact you.
PAYMENT METHODS
NO CASH PAYMENTS
Cut Time Account: The preferred method of payment to your student’s account is by debit or credit card to your student’s account via Cut Time . This is the most secure way to pay and helps to ensure that amounts are credited properly to your student’s account.
See the Fee Management page for details.
NOTE: Cut Time automatically charges credit card processing fees, so if you want to avoid paying those fees, you can send a check or money order using the instructions below.
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER: If you want to pay by check or money order do the following:
1. Write your student’s name in the memo field
2. Tell us what you are paying for (if not indicated payments will be applied as outlined below)
3. Make the check or money order payable to Eldorado Band Boosters
4. Mail the check to the address below, or drop in the gray safe outside Mr. Sayre's office.
Eldorado Band Boosters
P.O. Box 14424
Albuquerque, NM 87191-4424
NOTE: Allow 1-2 weeks for payments made by check or money order to be credited to your student account.
ORDER OF PAYMENT APPLICATION
Funds we receive from you will be applied in the following order:
1. Payment of outstanding fixed charges, if any
2. Payment of any direct charges to your account
3. Payment of trip balances if applicable, however initial trip deposits will be credited directly to the applicable trip if received on or before the trip commitment date deadline
TRANSFER OF FUNDS BETWEEN STUDENT ACCOUNTS
Transfer of funds between student accounts will not be permitted. It is important for us to keep an accurate record of your specific student’s account and transfers can result in an incorrect application of funds to your student’s account. If you have multiple students in the program you will need to remit separate payments for each.
PAYMENTS FROM THIRD PARTIES
If you have the opportunity to obtain funds from third parties to help fund your student’s account, Cut Time supports "sharing" the costs on your student accounts with third parties. From your students Cut Time page, under the Financial Summary section there is a button to "Share these costs" which allows you to provide mobile numbers for individuals interested in helping out with your student account fees.
Do not share the link from Cut Time with unrelated third parties as this is a security risk to your privacy and your student’s privacy. Use the process above to facilitate sharing payments.
STUDENT CREDIT BALANCES AND REFUNDS
If your graduating student has a credit balance in their account at the end of the school year you will have the following options to clear the balance:
1. Receive a refund of the credit balance
2. Donate the credit balance to the EHS Band Boosters
You will receive a notification asking you to make an election for 1 or 2. No response to the notification will result in a balance donation. We encourage you to pay the exact amounts owed at the time of billing and to not generate a credit balance.
Underclassmen account balances will rollover the balance to the next school year.
CHARGES FOR OPTIONAL TRIPS
The Eldorado Band Boosters in conjunction with the Director will arrange for and determine the costs associated with optional trips. You must complete a trip commitment form and remit the deposit by the stated deadline to reserve a spot for the trip. Trip deposits are not refundable. The Eldorado Band Boosters assumes the risk associated with the actual trip costs. If the actual trip costs exceed the original stated costs you will not be billed additionally for those costs. Conversely, if actual trip costs are less than the original stated costs you will not be refunded those amounts and they will revert to the Eldorado Band Booster general fund.
Exception: A trip deposit may be eligible for refund in an extenuating medical situation. If this situation arises, contact the Directors for further instructions. Do not contact the boosters.
UNPAID CHARGES AND OPTIONAL TRIP ELIGIBILITY
Students will not be eligible to attend optional trips if any account balances are outstanding by the stated deadlines, even if amounts have been paid towards the trip. You will be refunded amounts if available less the amounts required to secure fixed cost events, hotels, and other charges necessary to secure trip arrangements for your student. If we have expended amounts on your student’s behalf to secure trip arrangements and your account balance is insufficient to cover those amounts you will be billed for them. If you commit to a trip be sure to follow through on your account obligations on or before the designated deadlines for all payment types.
Spring Trip funds forfeiture will be as follows (this is the amount that is not refundable as of the corresponding dates):
1/31/2025 - $250
2/1/2024 - $500
2/15/2024 - $750
3/1/2024 - $1000
3/6/2024 - $1200