Milk, bus fee hikes on tap for Schaumburg D-54

Fees for milk and transportation could be on the rise for students in Schaumburg Township Elementary School District 54.

District 54's Student Fee Committee presented the proposed hikes Thursday in a memo to the district's board of education, saying the increases were necessary to keep up with rising costs.

If the board approves the fee hikes at its Jan. 20 meeting, the cost of milk would increase in the next school year from its current 10 cents per carton to 20 cents per carton.

Parents would pay about $36 a year per student for milk, according to the committee's report. Students eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program will continue to be exempt from the fee.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Mohsin Dada said even with the increase, District 54 students would still pay less for milk than students in many surrounding districts, some of which charge as much as 60 cents per carton.

Parents with students who don't receive free bus service will also be paying more, but not until 2013, under the committee's recommendations.

The annual parent-paid transportation fee would increase from $475 to $500 for one child; from $600 to $650 for two children; and from $700 to $800 for three or more children. A service fee of $50 would also be assessed per family if payment comes after July 15, to avoid expensive rescheduling of routes.

District 54 transportation costs typically are higher than other districts because of their use of a common bell schedule for junior highs and elementary schools, officials said. A multiple bell schedule may lower other districts' transportation costs, Dada said.

School of choice transportation fees also would increase in 2013 under the recommendations, from $100 to $150 for one child; from $125 to $200 for two; and from $150 to $250 for three or more. The fees would then increase through 2016 at a rate of $50 per year for one child; $75 per year for two children; and $100 per year for three or more children, Dada said.

The committee also is recommending fee hikes for its partners in before- and after-school programs, hiking the rate from 50 to 55 cents per student for morning programs and 50 to 65 cents per student in the afternoon program. The groups that run the programs — the YMCA, Schaumburg Park District and the Hoffman Estates Park District — have increased its fees to customers over the years, the committee said.

Extracurricular activities, including sports, music and band, should remain without fees, the committee recommended. The consumable materials fee would remain $50 per student, under the plan.

Dada told school board members Thursday that the proposed increases will not make money for the district, only reduce what the district already is paying for the services.