Kaneland looks at fee changes

The Kaneland School District is undertaking a review of its student fees.

Recommendations from an ad-hoc committee on student fees included freezing mandatory textbook prices, allowing fees to be paid in installments and contracting out or eliminating the driver education program.

School board members said Monday they didn't agree with some of the proposals, specifically to cut driver education.

"I get concerned about that one," board member Deborah Grant said. "If you have a student in band, choir, athletics, anything after school -- they would be missing that for drivers ed."

The ad-hoc committee's recommendations were made solely on monetary factors, said Superintendent Charles McCormick, and haven't been reviewed by administrators yet.

The driver's education program runs with a "significant deficit," he said.

Several recommendations dealt with communication, such as giving parents more information on what specific fees pay for and giving them information about what the next year's fees likely will cost.

Administrators started looking at reviewing the student fees after hearing concerns about the prices while talking to residents about the February referendum, said Julie-Ann Fuchs, assistant school business official.

The average Kaneland family pays $314.37 in student fees a year, according to a district analysis.

Fees for individual elementary students range from $102.50 to $195.50. At the middle school, fees range from $185 to $425; and at the high school, it's from $230 to $830.

Out of the 2,551 families that have students in the Kaneland School District, 1,153 have one student; 1,008 have two students; and 314 have three students. Seventy-six families have more than four students in the school district.

Administrators said they would review the recommendations and bring any changes to the school board on its Sept. 22 meeting.