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D300 board approves ISBE waiver to allow up to $400 drivers-education fee, waivers for low-income students retained
Summary
After a brief presentation from the district's director of PE and drivers education, the District 300 Board approved an ISBE waiver that would allow the district to charge up to $400 for Drivers Education through 2031; fees will still be waived for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Dr. Thomas Parisi, the district's Director of PE, Health, Drivers Education and Athletics, told the board that District 300 currently charges $250 for Drivers Education — the maximum allowed under the current School Code — and that the district wants flexibility to charge up to $400 if warranted over the next five years.
"The purpose of the waiver is to not immediately raise the fee, but to give the district flexibility to adjust the fee as needed through 2031," Dr. Parisi said, adding that fees would continue to be waived for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
Parisi told the board the current $250 charge aligns with neighboring districts and would remain below the approximately $485 average charged by private driving schools even after a potential increase. He said the waiver would give the district planning flexibility to respond to rising program costs while maintaining instructional quality.
The board opened a public hearing on the waiver, heard no public comments and later approved the ISBE waiver under roll-call Item 14.2; the motion passed 7-0. The administration said the Board will review Drivers Education fees annually in February as part of its review of school fees.
The change requires ISBE approval of a waiver to the Illinois School Code and, if approved, would allow the district to charge up to $400 per student through 2031 while retaining fee waivers for eligible low-income students.
