District 203 proposes 10 percent fee increases

Naperville Unit District 203 families are likely to see their first fee increase since the 2001-2002 school year.

A committee formed to examine the methods used to establish fees and research the costs that fees are intended to offset recommended this week the district increase general fees paid by all students by an average of 10 percent.

Finance Director Dave Zager, who led the committee, said the recommendation was made to ensure fees would be set at a level that would offset costs that have increased over the past 10 years.

The biggest hit the district has seen, Zager said, was the state’s elimination of the Textbook Loan program that supplied about $250,000 of textbooks each year.

“The loss of textbook funding is a huge hit to us, Zager said.

The fees, as proposed, are estimated to provide $1.8 million to partially offset more than $1 million in textbook purchases, $2.2 million in individual school supplies and materials and $400,000 annually paid for technology software and licenses allocated to individual schools.

Even with the increase, Zager said the district would expect to have the lowest fees in the area, ranging from 5 percent to 10 percent below the average charged in neighboring districts.

The optional fees charged primarily to high school students participating in activities and athletics also would jump about 8 percent to eventually offset 20 percent to 25 percent of the cost to provide the sport or activity, including supplying officials, coaches and equipment.

Zager said the district’s booster clubs’ fundraising efforts have been subsidizing the budget in recent years rather than going toward “bigger ticket items.”

“Our boosters like to see their money go toward harder, more substantive things,” Zager said. “We hope this action will help them get back to that.”

The board of education is scheduled to vote on the fee schedule at its Feb. 22 meeting.