Many fees are increasing for high school students attending East Valley Institute of Technology programs in 2025-26.
EVIT is a public trade school providing 50 career training programs for East Valley high school students and Phoenix-area adults at two Mesa campuses. Classes are 8-10:35 a.m. or 12-2:35 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes with four-hour blocks are 7-11 a.m. or noon-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to https://www.evit.edu.
Ten programs have lowered fees. One area where fees are decreasing is for the aviation spectrum program. A $100 workbook will no longer be required, but a $15 fee has been added for a career and technical student organization, so the fee is decreasing to $90 from $175 for first-year students, according to an EVIT document.
The governing board may authorize program deans waive the assessment of all or part of a fee if it creates economic hardship for a student, it states at the end of the document.
On the low end of increases, many programs now have the new $15 fee for a career and technical student organization.
The second-highest increase is $190 for second-year students in the emergency medical technician program, which includes a $5 increase for the cost of two uniform shirts and $185 added for other fees including CPR, drug screen and FISDAP testing, which was formerly known as Field Internship Student Data Acquisition Project. The total cost for a student will be $355.
The highest increase was $200 for second-year students in the fire science academy program with a new fee of $155 for FISDAP testing, a $15 increase in the fee for a career and technical student organization, and a $30 increase for CPR and drug screen fees. The total cost for a student will be $380.
The EVIT board voted unanimously Nov. 4 to approve the 2025-26 program fees.
“(T)hese fees are up a bit from the past, and I think it’s important we explain to you why they’re up a bit from the past,” EVIT Superintendent Chad Wilson said prior to the vote.
It is the first time in several years that fees have been increased for a lot of the items, Chief Academic Officer Ronda Doolen said to the board.
“And the truth is, we have not been charging enough to even cover what the items were costing because of the inflation that has occurred over the last year and a half, two years,” she said.
Nearly 7,000 Phoenix-area adults and high school students residing in 11 East Valley school districts — Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Higley, J.O. Combs, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek and Apache Junction — attend EVIT for hands-on career training that prepares them to earn professional certifications and licenses in a wide range of career fields. EVIT also now offers paid apprenticeships and associate degrees.
Tenth through 12th grade students can attend EVIT tuition-free. Bus transportation is provided to and from EVIT by the student’s home school district for most programs.
The majority of EVIT’s fiscal year 2024 budget revenue is from state equalization assistance — $50,649,454; property taxes — $13,664,729; and tuition — $413,462, according to an annual financial report discussed by the EVIT board at its Oct. 14 meeting.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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