Published in the June 19, 2018 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – As the current school year ends, the School Committee was thinking ahead to the 2018-2019 school year as they reviewed and adjusted tuitions and activity fees for next school year.
Last week, School Business Administrator Michael Pfifferling discussed the recommended
fee changes with the School Committee.
The impacted fees include those that apply to athletics, marching band, transportation, winter percussion, ice hockey assessments, performing arts, school lunch and Doyle preschool tuition.
As a result of a multi-year program to reduce certain activity fees, the individual fees for athletics, Marching Band, winter percussion and winter color guard will be going down from $215 to $175. The family cap will be reduced from $645 to $525.
At the Galvin Middle School, the drama activity fee will be cut by $5, from $40 to $35. The Science Olympiad fee will be reduced from $80 to $70.
At the High School, activity fees for extracurricular science, math and art will be cut from $40 to $35.
Performing arts fees at the High School (including Drama, Jazz Band I and II and a cappella will drop from $120 to $100.
Annual school bus fees will increase by $10.
Pfifferling said that there are currently no plans to increase the cost of school lunches. There are also no plans to increase the rental fees charges to outside groups using school auditoriums, gymnasiums and other spaces.
School Superintendent Dr. Kim Smith talked about the 2 percent tuition increase for preschool at the Doyle Early Childhood Center. Five day a week, full-day attendance will increase from $6,400 to $6,530. Five-day, half-day tuition will go from $3,200 to $3,265.
Smith said that in the recent past, there would be no increase in tuitions or school bus fees for several years and then parents would suddenly be faced with a significant hike. She said that the plan was to avoid that by making smaller, more regular adjustments that reflect cost increases. Pfifferling said that the Doyle tuition increase mirrors a cost of living increase received by school staff.
Smith praised the reductions in most activity fees.
“I’m just pleased that we were able to partner with the town in reducing activity fees for the second consecutive year,” she said. “It’s a great win for families.”
School Committee member Christopher Callanan also expressed his appreciation to the town for helping to bring the extracurricular fees down. The town and the School Department have each allotted $90,000 in each of the last two years toward reducing those fees.
