Fees for elementary and middle school students in Park Ridge- Niles District 64 would not rise for the 2018-19 academic year under a proposal from district officials.
The fees for elementary school students would remain at $227, which covers 40 percent of the district’s expenses that officials are allowed by state law to pass on to families, according to a report prepared for the District 64 Board of Education by Chief School Business Official Luann Kolstad.
A discussion of the school fees for the 2018-19 school year is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. March 12 at Carpenter School, 300 N. Hamlin Ave., Park Ridge. Registration for the 2018-19 school year in District 64 is set to begin April 23.
While general student fees should remain flat, district officials recommended that the board increase the fee for students who participate in the district’s interscholastic sports and cross country programs, which are running a deficit, according to the report.
The fee for the sports program would rise $20 to $120, and the fee for the cross country program would rise $5 to $30.
In addition, the district’s administration recommended a $1 per day increase for the cost of the extended-day kindergarten program at Jefferson School to ensure the program will “break even or operate at a small profit,” of approximately $20,000, according to the report.
In addition, the cost of early childcare services beginning at 7 a.m. for students enrolled in the morning session of extended-day would rise $1 to $12 per day, according to the report.
The staff also recommended a $1 per day increase in the tuition for the community preschool program, which also takes place at Jefferson School, for the first time in two years. Tuition for that program would be $24 per day for three days per week; $23 per day for four days per week; and $22 per day for five days per week.
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The general student fee covers supplies including workbooks used by students, as well as covering the cost of technology used in the classroom — including computerized white boards — and outside the classroom, including Chromebooks and iPads, according to the report.
The fee for preschool and kindergarten students would remain $84, according to the report.
The fees for middle school students in District 64 would remain at $315, which covers 47 percent of the district’s expenses that officials are allowed by state law to pass on to families in the form of fees, according to the report.
Students who qualify as low-income can request a waiver from all fees under Illinois law.
Heather Cherone is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.