Northeast Dubois adds supplemental fees to address funding issues

The Northeast Dubois School Corporation Board approved supplemental fees for the 2025-26 school year during its June meeting, marking the district’s first implementation of charges for additional educational materials beyond required textbooks.

The fees, submitted separately by each school level, cover materials such as workbooks, consumable supplies, and enrichment resources that enhance learning but are not required for basic instruction. Superintendent Dr. Tara Rasche emphasized the district’s commitment to keeping these costs as low as possible.

“We want to assure our community that while we do plan to implement supplemental fees in accordance with the new law, we are committed to keeping those costs as low as possible,” Rasche said during the meeting. “Our goal is to minimize the financial burden on families while still providing valuable resources that support and enrich student learning.”

The supplemental fees represent a policy change for the district, which previously could not charge students for any educational materials. Recent state legislation now permits and encourages schools to charge these additional fees to help fund their operations.

The district must continue to cover the cost of all curricular materials, including textbooks and required supplemental materials, using funds from its education fund. The new supplemental fees apply only to additional materials that enhance the educational experience.

Board member Kelly Knies noted the careful consideration that went into developing the fee structure. “There’s a lot of thought put in the list. So there’s a lot of thought put into that,” Harris said. “I think one thing we need to point out, I mean, it’s recommended by the state that we charge these fees to help the funding of our schools.”

The board unanimously approved the addition of the supplemental fees.

The board approved pay increases for classified and administrative staff for the 2025-26 school year, continuing the district’s efforts to remain competitive with other school corporations in the region.

School districts across Indiana face ongoing funding challenges, with board members acknowledging the state’s role in creating financial constraints. Board member Sean Dooley praised the superintendent’s efforts to maintain competitive compensation despite these limitations.

“The state has put us in a kind of a hard spot here, funding-wise,” Dooley said. “Dr. Rasche has done a lot of hard work over the years to put us in a position to be able to, you know, pay competitively and be able to bump salaries up and pay up for folks.”

The board also approved new cafeteria meal prices for the upcoming school year. Student breakfast will cost $1.75 for grades K-12 and preschool. Student lunch prices are set at $2.25 for preschool, $2.50 for grades K-8, and $2.75 for grades 9-12. Adult breakfast will cost $2.75, and adult lunch $4.60.

Board members praised cafeteria manager Joyce Hozman for her efforts to keep meal prices competitive while maintaining quality. “She really takes pride in what she does up there and works hard to find ways to make good meals for the kids again, given the constrained budget,” Dooley said.

In recognition of student achievements, the board celebrated the baseball team’s success in reaching the semi-state championship game. “How exciting. We so close to a state tournament. It was great,” Rasche said, noting the strong community support that accompanied the team throughout the playoffs.

“Boy our community shows up to support,” Dooley said. “Blue everywhere. It was great to see.”