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Board reviews proposed policy to collect roughly $140,000 in unpaid school fees
Summary
Superintendent and staff presented proposed revisions to Policy 4-10 to formalize school-fee assessment, payment options and collection steps; administrators said about $140,000 in unpaid fees exist and the policy would allow payment plans, waivers and, as a final option, referral to a collection agency or small-claims action.
Doctor Andrews presented proposed revisions to Policy 4-10 (district business/fiscal management) designed to formalize how the district assesses, notices and attempts collection of unpaid school activity fees.
Andrews said the policy update clarifies what fees are assessed, the available online and in-person payment methods, the district’s outreach and invoice process, the fee-waiver pathway for families in financial hardship and the possibility of payment plans. He said the district currently has approximately $140,000 in uncollected fees across buildings and noted that high-school balances can appear larger because some balances follow students for multiple years.
Administration described a pilot program the district registrar, Kim Wolfville, ran at the high school to test outreach and collections; Andrews said the pilot had been successful and that the revised policy would create uniform letters and processes across buildings. The proposed policy gives the district the option — not an automatic requirement — to refer unpaid balances to a collection agency and, if necessary, to pursue small-claims filings if families do not respond to outreach or enter payment agreements.
Several board members asked for an aging schedule, specifics on the largest balances and confirmation that hardship waivers and payment-plan options will be clearly communicated. Andrews said waivers and payment plans will be formalized in the process and that balances are often absolved at graduation for some students. No formal action was taken; the item was presented for information and will return for possible future action.
