GEARY COUNTY (KSNT) – A local board of education approved enrollment fees on Tuesday for elementary and secondary schools starting next school year.
Matthew Hoover with USD 475 announced that on March 24 in a special meeting, the district’s Board of Education approved an enrollment and athletic fee that would start in the 2026-2027 school year for schools across the district. The approved enrollment fees were part of a proposed fee structure by the district’s Teaching and Learning Department for textbook rentals, technology and athletic fees based on guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
The enrollment fees also apply for part-time and virtual students and the amount approved for each enrollment fee include:
- Elementary: $30
- Secondary: $50
- Athletics for 7-12 grade levels: $20
- High school individual advanced-placement course exam: $49
According to the school district, the fees were proposed because of “anticipated changes” in the district’s finances in order to help with offsetting operational costs as the district is seeing a decrease in revenue, and to maintain the quality of school programs. 27 News reached out to the school district for comment.
According to the KSDE, the district’s total expenditures for the 2025-2026 school year went up to $192,014,325, up from $134,331,045 from 2024-2025. Some of the expenditures include instructional costs, student support and capital improvements. Capital improvements for the district went up 552% since last school year, going from nearly $4.9 million in the 2024-2025 school year to nearly $32 million for this school year in actual spending. Mill rates for the district have dropped to $43.505.
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Under Kansas Statue 72-3353, supplemental fees and related charges can be collected by school districts for educational materials including workbooks, physical education clothing and band equipment. The money that is collected from these fees have to also be deposited into a revolving fund for the textbook materials and student materials, according to the statute.
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