$2,250 Kindergarten Tuition Fee Set To Be Slashed In District 112

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Tuition fees for full-day kindergarten in North Shore School District 112 should be cut by 90 percent, bringing them into line with fees the district charges to older students, administrators recommended.

Instead of paying $2,250 in tuition, families of kindergartners in the full-day program would pay the same $230 registration fee assessed to all students up to eighth grade starting in the 2020-21 school year.

"We are in the minority of peer districts continuing to charge this for the program," Chris Wildman, the district's chief school business official, told board members last week. "Deerfield [School District] 109, Lake Bluff [School District] 65 and Lake Forest [School District] 67 have all discontinued their fees since we began our journey with full-day kindergarten here at [North Shore School District] 112."

Wildman said that updated financial projections presented last month in the finance committee show District 112 can remain $10 million over the 25 percent fund balance requirement over the next five years — even without the $400,000-a-year in revenue brought in through the tuition fees.

District 112's full-day kindergarten tuition fee was first approved in December 2017. It was set at $2,500 per year in 2018-19 school year and reduced to $2,250 for 2019-20. Administrators calculated the fees by dividing up about $1.2 million in additional staffing costs by the expected number of students.

"We've seen improving results. We expect, because of going to full-day kindergarten, we're going to continue to see [improving] results," said board member Dan Jenks, who described the kindergarten curriculum as an integrated part of the district's educational program, rather than something separate.

"If it's that important," Jenks said, "we shouldn't charge for it."

The recent adoption of a new five-year contract with the collective bargaining unit representing district teachers gave the board a better idea of District 112's financial future, he added.

State law requires public schools that offer full-day kindergarten programs to provide a half-day option. Registration fees for the half-day would be reduced to $75 when paid before July 30.

But board member Alex Kornblatt pointed out the full-day kindergarten education curriculum has been designed to extend throughout the day.

"This is a single comprehensive program," he said. "And if a student chose to go half-day, they're going to be missing half the core curriculum."

"That is correct," Lubelfeld said.

"So we have, in essence, made it not a viable option to choose half day," Kornblatt continued.

"That is correct," Lubelfeld said.

"So to force someone to pay for it is kind of not in line with public school education," Kornblatt said.

"That is correct," the superintendent said.

Of the 357 students enrolled in kindergarten in District 112, only two are signed up for the half-day program, according to Pioneer Press, which first reported the recommended fee reduction.

Administrators suggested all other fees remain unchanged. That includes the $3,300 annual tuition fee for preschool in the district's Early Childhood Blended Program, which has stayed flat since 2016, the $495 transportation fee which rises to $545 after July 30, and the $30 technology fee charged since 2017-18 to support insurance for laptops. Means-tested fee waivers are available for qualifying families.

No board member signaled opposition to the plan at the Dec. 17 board meeting. They are scheduled to vote on final approval for fees for the 2020-21 school year at their next meeting on Jan. 21.

Earlier: North Shore School District 112 Considers All-Day Kindergarten Fees