INDIANAPOLIS –Hoosier parents are no longer on the hook for textbook costs, but many are seeing bills for other fees increasingly being charged by schools.
State lawmakers dedicated $160 million in the new budget to eliminate textbook and curriculum fees, starting with the 2023-24 academic year.
While the new law was championed by state officials, school districts are left trying to figure out what they have to cover and what they don’t, especially when it comes to advanced classes and career development courses.
There’s no consensus yet for what types of fees are still being charged by individual Indiana schools and districts. Some contacted by the Indiana Capital Chronicle said they had totally eliminated all education-related fees — at least for the current school year.
Other district officials said they interpreted the new curriculum law differently and will continue to bill parents for certain college-level course materials and school management software like Skyward.
“I guess I just thought my family wasn’t going to have to pay anything this year,” said Michele Todd, whose three kids attend Carmel Clay Schools, just north of Indianapolis. Todd said school fees for each of her three kids totaled between $150 and $250 last year. She owes less than $30 for each of her students this year. “Don’t get me wrong … we’re only being charged a fraction of what we were before,” Todd continued. “But it’s almost a matter of principle … aren’t our fees supposed to be zeroed out?”
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