Mundelein High fees to stay constant
At a time when every dollar is dear, government agencies seem to be in growing financial trouble and taxpayers are expected to foot the bill, parents of Mundelein High School residents can look forward to a little relief.
Officials have decided not to increase student fees for the 2009-10 term. Summer school costs won't increase this year either, officials decreed during a meeting last week.
The current fee structures provide enough revenue to support the school's budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, officials said.
"We're living within our means (and) we're making the most of what we have," board member Karen Havlik said.
Mundelein High's student fees haven't increased since before the 2007-08 term, but they fluctuated regularly before then.
For the next school year, the basic registration fee will remain $225. Driver's education will cost $350, copies of the Obelisk yearbook will remain $50 and parking will continue to cost $60 per term.
Additionally, athletic participation will cost $200 per student annually with a $300 family limit, playing in the band will cost $50 and being a member of the show choir will carry a $325 fee.
Finally, late registration will cost $50, as usual.
Teens who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals have all academic fees waived, but they must apply for the discount.
As for summer school, classes will cost $140 each for district residents or $225 for teens who live outside of District 120. Driver's education will cost $350 per student.
The school operated at a multimillion-dollar loss for years, but this decade administrators and the board started balancing the budget by increasing class sizes, cutting staff positions and making other changes, including boosting student fees.
The steps appear to be working. Although officials can't afford much-needed and long-discussed building improvements and are planning to ask voters for more tax money in 2010, they aren't seeking handouts now, whether in the form of property taxes or fees.
"It's not fair to the students or their parents," Havlik said. "Things are tough for everyone right now and we don't want to put an extra burden on families who maybe are having a tough time making it right now. And if families are trying to do without certain things, so is the school."
The recession was one of the factors behind the board's decision to leave fees alone, board member Vicky Kennedy said. So was the ongoing effort to collect overdue fees from parents and students.
"Our percentage of collections is way up compared to a number of years ago," Kennedy said.