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Mt Vernon board hears draft to reinstate consumable student fees for 2026–27
Summary
Officials presented a draft plan to reinstate consumable (non-textbook) student fees for 2026–27 with grade-by-grade draft amounts and said the district will return next month seeking approval; the draft reflects state guidance limiting what may be charged as textbook rental.
The Mt Vernon Community School Corp board on Tuesday heard a staff report outlining a draft proposal to reinstate consumable student fees for the 2026–27 school year, with a detailed, grade-by-grade spreadsheet included in the board packet and a plan to return next month for possible approval.
Dr. Russ (presenting) said the district last charged student fees during the 2023–24 school year and staff have developed a draft schedule meant to cover noncurricular consumable items. "The draft consumable fees for next school year ... for some elementary grades is $39, and for others it is $34," Dr. Russ said while showing a slide of detailed line items. He emphasized that fees are narrower than historic textbook rental charges because recent state budget language and Department of Education guidance redefined what may be charged as a textbook item.
CFO Greg Elkins explained the state included a line item for textbooks in recent budgets that has changed how districts think about charging families, and said schools locally decided to stop fees in many cases because definitions were murky. "DOE has said we're not really gonna get involved in defining those other things or dictating what schools do or how they do it," Elkins said, and added that consumable fees typically cover items that cannot be reused, such as lab materials.
Board members asked clarifying questions about past reimbursement and why the district had stopped collecting fees; one member noted the draft would be less than historical totals because fees are limited to consumables rather than broader textbook packages. Dr. Russ described the presentation as a report and said the board would see the item again next month if they chose to seek approval.
Because the board packet contains the detailed breakdown by course and grade, the district said interested families should consult those materials for exact proposed amounts. The administration did not adopt final amounts during the meeting and no vote was taken.
