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School board approves fee increases including 10% across-the-board rise and bus fee increase
Summary
The Minnetonka School Board voted to approve fiscal year 2026 fees after a public hearing. The board approved a broadly applied 10% fee increase, a 20% rise for instrument rentals, and a 10% increase to the student bus fee (from $100 to $110) with family maximum adjusted from $250 to $275; estimated additional revenue is about $252,000.
Following a public hearing earlier in the evening, the Minnetonka School Board approved a slate of fee increases for fiscal year 2026 intended to help close an identified $5 million budget gap.
Executive Director of Finance and Operations Paul Bourgeois summarized the changes: a roughly 10% increase “across the board” for most fees, a 20% increase for student band and orchestra instrument rentals (citing rising repair costs), a 10% increase in the student bus fee from $100 to $110 with the family maximum rising from $250 to $275, and a $5 increase for Tonka Dome rental fees. Bourgeois said the estimated incremental revenue from the fee changes is about $252,000, roughly 5% of the $5 million gap the district is addressing.
Board discussion included a clarification that the transportation fee is assessed for families living more than two miles from their assigned school, consistent with state law that provides free transportation for eligible students within the statutory limit.
A motion to approve the fiscal year 2026 fees was made and seconded; the voice vote passed and the board recorded the motion as carried.
Board materials and Bourgeois’s presentation noted the increases are one part of broader budget-balancing steps. The administration told the board that fee-assistance funds are available to cover class fees for students who cannot afford them.
Outcome: motion approved. The board did not provide a roll-call tally in the public minutes; the action was approved by voice vote.
