Fees in District 158 will remain flat

Registration fees in Huntley Unit District 158 will remain flat for the 2011-2012 school year, because administrators and school board members concede parents cannot shoulder higher costs.

The school board on Thursday voted unanimously to keep student registration fees unchanged. The district last raised fees about four years ago.

“The sentiment was that this is not the time to raise registration fees,” board President Kevin Gentry said. “Given the situation with the economy and taxes being a big enough burden on parents and families, it’s not the time to be increasing costs if we can avoid it.”

District 158 Superintendent John Burkey said that four years ago registration fees in the district were among the highest in the county. Since then, some districts have raised fees and have caught up with District 158, he said.

“We understand what families are going through,” Burkey said. “We are particularly sensitive to families that have more than one child in the district. Some of our families are writing checks for more than $500, and that is a lot of money to some families. They’re paying enough in taxes as it is.”

Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer said the district has seen a spike in the number of uncollected registration fees in the past few years.

“Clearly, the number of people not making the registration payments has increased,” Altmayer said. “(With) today’s economy and challenges with unemployment, we’re seeing significant increase in free and reduced fees as well. Part of the problem is everyone is affected by the economy.”