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Avoyelles Parish School Board adopts streamlined student‑fees policy; high‑school fee set at $50, elementary remains $30
Summary
The Avoyelles Parish School Board voted May 26 to adopt a revised student‑fees policy that streamlines fees across grades, sets a $50 high‑school fee and retains a $30 elementary fee, and authorizes a $125,000 purchase of starter school supplies to ease the transition.
The Avoyelles Parish School Board on May 26 approved revisions to its student‑fees, fines and charges policy that streamline dozens of items and set the district’s high‑school student fee at $50 while keeping the elementary fee at $30.
Superintendent Ms. Tudor told the board the revised policy removes many specific line‑item charges and corrects an earlier agenda error that showed an incorrect figure. “We intended for this student fee to be $50 instead of 30,” she said, noting the district reduced some previously listed fees from a total package that had been larger. She said the changes reflect current prices (for example, Chromebooks cost less) and legal limits on what schools may charge.
Board members pressed staff on operational details, including whether PE uniforms and classroom supplies would impose costs on families. Ms. Tudor said the district bid a package of starter supplies and planned to provide initial classroom supplies so elementary students would not have to immediately purchase materials; she said the district awarded an elementary‑supplies contract for approximately $125,000 to cover pencils, crayons, paper and similar items.
Several directors expressed concern about imposing higher fees on families that already struggle to pay, and asked about layaway or payment‑plan options. Staff said families can pay over time using the district’s MySchoolBucks system and that high schools already recover a large share of fees through graduation holds and other measures; staff also described school‑level fundraisers and incentives that could encourage payment.
A motion to adopt the revised policy was moved and seconded and the board voted to adopt the policy; the chair announced the motion carried unanimously. The adopted policy will be implemented for the upcoming school year and staff said they will share additional implementation details with principals and families over the summer.
The board’s action covers the districtwide student‑fees policy; individual schools retain authority to administer fee collection and the district indicated plans to monitor impacts and payment rates.
