Maine Township High School District 207 is looking for new ways to get a large number of families to pay up what they owe in delinquent student fees
Mary Kalou, assistant superintendent for business for District 207, told the board of education on Feb. 7 that officials have seen a “tremendous increase in the amount of unpaid fees” with “limited consequences” for families who fail to pay them.
“It’s a trend we do not like,” Kalou said.
Currently, the district is owed $728,736 in unpaid fees, said District 207 Spokesman Brett Clark.
A large portion of the balance involves the base student fee that is owed annually by all students, but it also includes other delinquent fees related to summer school tuition, summer camps, unreturned athletic uniforms, overdue library books, textbooks and other expenses, Clark said.
The base student fee for the 2021-22 school year is $370 and covers “all basic academic costs, including instructional resources and Chromebook,” according to the district.
Approximately 1,600 students owe the district more than $100, Clark said. This represents about a quarter of the district’s student population, he said.
Currently, the district offers families a payment plan and has the ability to withhold official transcripts from students who owe fees, Clark said.
“The district always tries to work with the families,” he said. “This will often include customized payment plans. The district can take legal action and up to and including court orders.”
The district also offers some school fee waivers for students who qualify based on household income.
Earlier in the pandemic, the district held off on collection efforts, recognizing that there may have been “extenuating circumstances,” Kalou said, but the trend of fees going unpaid has continued.
Officials plan to bring measures for better addressing the unpaid fee problem during a future board of education meeting, she said.
Lowering student fees will also be part of the discussion, she said.
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District 207 Supt. Ken Wallace said fees have gone down through the years.
“They have been cut significantly,” he said.
One fee that was eliminated this school year was the $115 parking pass fee, according to the district.