Box Elder board eliminates class fees and proposes using TSSA funds to cover costs

At its June 11 meeting, the Box Elder School District Board of Education voted to eliminate general and itemized class fees for secondary students and use a portion of the district's Teacher Student Success Act (TSSA) funds to cover most of the resulting cost for the 2025'26 school year.

The move came after administrators described two options to comply with new state law, House Bill 415, which takes effect July 1 and requires districts to itemize fees by course rather than collect a single general fee. Administrators told the board they could either present an itemized fee schedule or eliminate class fees and use TSSA funds to pay for student supplies and equipment.

The decision followed a detailed staff presentation led by Keith Meekum, assistant superintendent of secondary schools, who explained the financial tradeoffs and recommended using TSSA funds. Meekum said the district estimated roughly $580,000 would be needed to cover secondary class fees districtwide and that intermediate and middle schools would be largely covered; the remaining shortfall for high schools was described as "less than $60,000." Meekum said the district's administrators had developed plans for distributing TSSA funds to cover classroom costs and reduce the need for parents to pay fees out of pocket.

"We can pay for almost all of the fees," Meekum said during the presentation, explaining that the TSSA allocation the district controls (25 percent of its TSSA allotment) could be redirected to remove the barrier of class fees for families. He and other staff cautioned the board that doing so would increase accounting and administrative work because money would no longer be collected in a single blanket payment.

Administrators also outlined which charges would remain optional or "as needed" (for example, dual enrollment course fees charged by colleges, field trips, instrument rentals) and clarified that fee waivers under federal rules would remain in effect. Board members and public speakers emphasized concerns about transparency and accountability: several commenters said they want clear reporting on how the district spends the TSSA funds and how any surplus or deficit would be handled.

After discussion and public comment, the board approved a motion to adopt a district fee schedule that eliminates general and class fees and directs the district to use TSSA funds to cover the majority of secondary class fees. The board also directed staff to post the new fee schedule on the district and school websites and to report back on costs and impacts before next year's budget cycle.

The board left in place maximums for extracurricular fees and confirmed those fees remain waivable under federal guidelines; administrators said extracurricular fees are used for items such as transportation, referees, and team expenses and noted that the published maximums are not the same as typical charges paid by families.

Officials said they will monitor TSSA revenue and report how the reallocation affects programs and special education funding, and they signaled plans to review the decision again before next year's budget process to confirm sustainability.

Ending: The new fee schedule and school-level TSSA plans will be posted to the district website. Administrators said they will return to the board with a year-end review of actual costs and any recommended adjustments before the next budget cycle.