Taft LSC approves $5 increase in student fee, which had remained unchanged for years

by BRIAN NADIG

After more than 5 years of no increases in the standard student instructional fee at Taft High School, the price is finally going up — but only $5.

The new standard fee is $500, up from $495, with the increase expected to generate around an extra $10,000 in income for the school.

The Taft Local School Council at its July 9 meeting approved the $5 change.

Some council members argued that rounding the fee up to $500 would have a negligible effect on Taft families but would still generate enough additional revenue that the school could do something useful with it, especially given the budgetary problems facing the Chicago Public Schools.

The Chicago Board of Education recently approved a $10 billion budget that includes a $150 million shortfall.

Typically about 1,800 of Taft’s 4,200 students qualify for a full fee waiver. The waivers are based on household income, including those families who are certified for SNAP benefits.

Some families also may qualify for a partial waiver.

Parents can pay the fee through their online Aspen portal account.

“The collection rate has greatly improved at Taft the last two years,” Taft principal Ryan Glowacz said, adding that parents can easily see what they owe or have paid in the online system.

The $500 fee covers a variety of digital and paper educational subscriptions and apps, miscellaneous teacher copying costs, the school newspaper and lab fees along with staff development expenses and material learning resources for many courses.

The fee also helps pay for transportation costs for clubs and athletic teams, technology and facility upgrades, and school climate and culture improvements.

The fee does not cover school locks, yearbooks, Ventra cards and other miscellaneous items.

Also at the meeting, Glowacz reflected on the upcoming school year.

“My whole career has been at Taft,” Glowacz said. “I think we’re in a really good” place despite some of the budgetary cutbacks facing schools throughout the system. Taft, which is one of the five largest high schools in Illinois, was expected to a lose as many as five or six teaching positions.

Glowacz graduated from Taft in 2006 and returned a few years later as a teacher. He also served as an athletic director and assistant principal at Taft before being named principal in 2024.

In other matters, the council chose parent member William Justiz as its new chairperson.

The council also is looking to fill two parent vacancies on the LSC. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28. For more information, parents are asked to contact the school’s main office. The school’s phone number is 773-534-1000.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the varsity campus, 6530 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

Also, the school’s remaining home varsity football games are Fridays, Sept. 4 (tribute to veterans, vs. Chicago Vocational), Sept. 18 (alumni night, vs. Payton) and Sept. 25 (homecoming, vs. Phillips). Games start around 7 p.m. at the varsity campus, 6530 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

Most high schools in Chicago play their home football games at centralized shared facilities or at parks. Taft received its own sports complex in 2019.

This is just part of today’s coverage. Get the full story - every article, every ad, every page. Subscribe now.

The Latest From Our Community