Fees in Dist. 158 won’t change

Registration fees for students in Huntley Area District 158 will remain unchanged for the 2012-2013 school year.

Board members on Thursday approved a finance committee recommendation to keep fees at the same levels they have been for about five years.

Mark Altmayer, chief financial officer, said there are a few reasons the district opted to keep fees where they are.

“Number one is we want to stay competitive with other districts,” Altmayer said. “We recognize that we are not the cheapest district in the area. And number two, during these difficult economic times we just didn’t think it was prudent to pass along increases to the community.”

For the 2012-13 school year, Huntley Area District 158 registration fees are:

Ÿ All preschool programs — $112.00

Ÿ Morning kindergarten — $167.00.

Ÿ Full-day kindergarten — $217.00.

Ÿ Grades 1 through 5 — $173.00.

Ÿ Grades 6 through 8 — $218.00.

Ÿ Grades 9 through 12 — $228.00.

Families can save $50 for early registration at select grade levels.

Superintendent John Burkey said the district has historically been among the most expensive in the area, but other districts are catching up. Plus, Burkey said, families are already saddled with increased expenses for items like school clothes, lunches and extracurricular activities.

“We have really tried to keep our expenses under control so we don’t have to go to the taxpayers and we can keep fees down,” Burkey said. There are many families in the district with multiple children who are handing over a $1,000 check for registration. It just seemed like the wrong time to raise them.”