As of July 1, families in Swampscott will be responsible for covering processing fees tied to online school-related payments.
Cheryl Herrick-Stella, the assistant superintendent of finance and operations at the Swampscott Public Schools, presented the School Committee with an analysis of credit card fees associated with the district’s online payment provider, UniBank. The portal is open to anyone making school-related payments.
“Up to this point, the district has absorbed these fees within our budget,” Herrick-Stella said. “In this current environment, this is one of those areas that it’s nice to have a nice service to offer to the parents but I don’t know if this is something we should be continuing as a district.”
Herrick-Stella requested that the School Committee change the current system and have people pay the convenience fees. The board unanimously agreed.
“I think in this day and age, it’s something that we should no longer (take on),” School Committee Member John Giantis said. “It’s a nice thing, but in this environment not so much.”
Fees are assessed on a transaction basis, according to the UniBank for government site. The scale is as follows:
- $0.01 to $99.99: $2.50 fee
- $100.00 to $199.99: $5 fee
- $200 to $399.99: $10 fee
- $400 to $699.99: $17.50 fee
- $700 to $1,099.99: $27.50 fee
- $1,100 to $1,599.99: $40 fee
- $1,600 to $2,299.99: $57.50 fee
- $2,300 to $3,099.99: $77.50 fee
- $3,100 to $3,999.99: $100 fee
- $4,000 to $4,999.99: $125 fee
- $5,000 to $6,099.99: $152.50 fee
- $6,100 to $7,299.99: $182.50 fee
- $7,300 to $8,599.99: $215 fee
- $8,600 to $9,999.99: $250 fee
- $10,000 to $11,999.99: $300 fee
- $12,000 to $14,999.99: $375 fee
- $15,000 to $19,999.99: $500 fee
- $20,000 to $24,999.99: $625 fee
- $25,000 to $29,999.99: $750 fee
- $30,000 to $34,999.99: $875 fee
- $35,000 to $39,999.99: $1,000 fee
The automated clearing house (ACH) for checks incur a $0.50 processing fee, according to Herrick-Stella.
Out of 159 communities using UniBank, Swampscott is one of only ten that still covers convenience fees on behalf of users, according to Town Treasurer Patrick Luddy.
“We’re in the minority at this point, when it comes to this current procedure,” Herrick-Stella said.
The district’s spending on convenience fees nearly doubled from $7,616 in fiscal year 2021 to $16,793 in fiscal year 2024.
“That’s significant when we think of the budget challenges we’ve gone through,” said Superintendent Pamela Angelakis.
School Committee Chair Glenn Paster added that the amount of money the district has taken on for these transactions “is not chump change.”
School Committee Member Suzanne Wright called the change a “no brainer,” emphasizing that in town when residents take on fees for things like youth soccer, they have to pay the convenience charges as well.
Residents can avoid the fee by enrolling their Visa or debit card in PayPal or Venmo, or by paying with a check.
“I think there’s going to be people who pay it because it’s convenient and there’s people who aren’t going to want to pay it and pay this alternative way,” Wright said. “They can also bring a check in.”
