Student fees won’t increase at Mundelein High

Mundelein High School student fees will not increase in the fall.

The charges — covering yearbooks, parking, athletic and extracurricular participation and other purchases — haven’t changed since the 2007-08 school year.

Once again, Mundelein High officials said they didn’t want to burden families that already are carefully watching their checkbooks, wallets and purses.

“We recognize many of our families are struggling with the economy,” Superintendent Jody Ware said.

Additionally, increasing fees would affect only part of the student population. Students who qualify for free or reduced meals because of poverty don’t pay any fees, so increases would be covered by those who don’t qualify for such discounts, Ware said.

Thirty-four percent of families with students at Mundelein High qualify for free or reduced meals, Ware said. An additional 7 percent of Mundelein High families are on payment plans for fees, she said.

“We know more and more families are qualifying for free and reduced food programs,” Ware said. “Raising the fees would only put the burden on families that don’t qualify.”

The school board unanimously approved the fees for the 2012-13 term at its meeting Tuesday.

Fees range from $50 for a yearbook to $325 for show choir participation.

The school collected $441,749 in registration fees during the 2011 fiscal year, Ware said.

Summer school fees won’t increase, either, the board decided. Those bills went up for some students last summer.

The in-district rate for summer school is $150 per class. The cost for out-of-district students is $225 per class.

Summer school is self-funded, Ware said, so the fees for those classes only are used to cover related expenses.