By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board on Monday discussed a cut to some student fees. However, several board members advocated even further reductions in fees.
The administration is recommending decreasing the student ID fee from $12 for Hays Middle School and $16 for Hays High School to $5 for students at both schools.
The summer weights fee, which was $35, would be eliminated. Driver's education fees would be dropped from $225 for in-district students to $175 and $275 for out-of-district students to $225.
Chris Hipp, assistant superintendent, said the $35 weights fee was costing more to collect than the district was receiving. He said school officials also thought the fee was discouraging some students from taking advantage of the weights opportunity.
Board member Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp said $195 for enrolling a single student at the high school is just too much money for some families.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said if a student qualifies for free lunches, the fees are waived. If a student qualifies for reduced-price lunches, the fees are set at 50 percent.
The district also allows families to make payments on the fees.
"The problem there, and I'm speaking from my past history as a single dad with low income coming in," board member Ken Brooks said, "we weren't low enough for free lunches. If you have three kids in high school, that's over $555. Even making payments over the year, that's a hardship."
Zampieri-Lillpopp said, "These are shockingly high fees for families."
She said she came from a rural community where the enrollment fee was less than $50.
"Enrollment here has been a burden for me," she said.
Brooks said the high fees are a deterrent from families moving into the school district.
"I'm not going to say we're low compared to other 5A districts, but I would say we're comparable to other 5A districts in terms of fee assessment," Wilson said.
This school year, the district generated $177,000 from the $90 textbook fee. The fee is used for any curriculum materials. This could include electronic subscriptions or consumable classroom instructional materials.
In 2013, the district had to use a no-fund warrant to purchase curriculum materials, because the district had no money in its textbook fund. Borrowing money for these materials is not a recommended financial practice, said Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent and director of curriculum.
The district has planned curriculum reviews, which means having a balance in the textbook fund will be important to upgrading those materials, Dinkel said.
"It's about time that we drop that down," board member Allen Park said of the fees. "We're asking parents for a possible bond. ... We ought to be able to help them."
Board member Curt Vajnar said lunch tickets are yet another cost for parents. He said his family's bill was more than $1,000.
"I think the thing that you have to consider is that it is easy to reduce when you know you have revenue," Wilson said. "It is very difficult when you have to raise when you need revenue."
The school board took no action Monday night. It will consider the item again at its May 16 meeting.
Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay