There will be increases in school bus fees for the 2023-24 school year following action by the Glencoe 35 school board last week. However, registration fees are being removed for a second consecutive year.
The school board voted unanimously at their Feb. 9 meeting for increases in school bus rates with two-way rates going from $550 to $560. One-way service will rise from $250 to $300.
“Because of our district makeup, location and proximity, there is no state subsidy for that. So the cost is completely supported by fees in the district,” Glencoe 35 Director of Finance and Operations Jason Edelheit said at the January school board meeting.
Fees usually support between 40 to 60% of busing costs, with the district subsidizing the rest, according to school board documents.
School district officials noted students increased use of buses in recent years after a decline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There were 351 riders in the 2022-23 school year, the most since the 2017-18 school year, per school board documents.
“The bus riders are back,” Edelheit said.
In contrast, the district will waive registration fees that ranged between $106 and $192 in the 2021-22 school year depending on the school or the grade.
“We are going to charge for usage such as afterschool athletics,” District 35 School Board President Kelly Glauberman said. “But we are no longer going to charge a registration fee just as a cost for attending one of schools.”
Fees for athletic participation were set for $380 for basketball, $225 for volleyball, $210 for soccer and $40 for cross country/track. The Summer Explorations class fee is $180, according to school board documents.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.