Fremont Dist. 79 fees won’t go up next year

Parents of Fremont Elementary District 79 students won’t have to pay more for their kids’ athletic participation or textbooks next fall, officials decided this week.

Despite the weak economy and funding-related worries by school and government officials across the region, the school board opted to hold the line on student fees in the Mundelein-area district.

The board also opted not to create any new fees, an option that had been discussed, Superintendent Jill Gildea said.

For example, the 2,258 students enrolled in District 79 classes are not charged a specific fee for using computers or other high-tech equipment. Likewise, the more than 400 students in Fremont’s band programs aren’t charged for that participation.

Some schools do levy fees for band and technology usage, but District 79 officials felt it wasn’t the way to go, Gildea said.

Parents of band members already have to pay for instrument rental or purchase, Gildea said, and that’s enough.

“We love our band program. We have a lot of kids in band,” she said. “That would be a big increase and we don’t want to discourage anyone from participating.”

Increasing fees for athletic participation or other programs was considered, too, but the idea eventually was rejected.

“At this point, we felt we would work with what we have and do the best we can,” Gildea said.

Students in the district pay a variety of fees every year for basic registration, locks, gym uniforms, yearbooks and extracurricular sports.

Kindergartners will pay $60 next fall to register, down slightly from the current term. Eighth-graders pay the most to register, $120, as usual. That includes the cost of graduation gowns and diplomas.