NEW LENOX — Lincoln-Way High School District 210 officials will refund families of students enrolled in the district’s driver's education classes who were improperly charged.
Superintendent Scott Tingley said the amount that will be refunded is close to $400,000.
The excess charging has upset many Lincoln-Way parents and residents, including Robin Gareiss, of Frankfort, who received an email about it.
“It’s astounding to me we can have example after example after example out here of financial mismanagement and complete ineptness and we see no changes,” Gareiss said.
Under state law, school districts may charge a fee not to exceed $50 for students who participate in driver's education classes. The district may increase the fee to an amount not to exceed $250 by school board resolution following a public hearing.
When Tingley was asked if he knew how the improper charging happened, he said “I do but we’re not going into that.”
District officials sent a letter to parents last week informing them that they were authorized in 2010 to charge $350 to the family of each student enrolled in a driver's education class.
However, that authority expired last year, according to a district email sent to parents March 17.
“In accordance and compliance with these provisions, and in fairness to the families of our district, you will be receiving a refund check in the amount of $300 by mail within the next 30 business days,” stated the district’s email to parents.
A 2010 Illinois State Board of Education waiver report listed a request from Lincoln-Way to have the authority to charge a fee not to exceed $350 of students who participate in driver's education courses. The expiration of that waiver was for the 2014-15 school year.
Liz Sands, of taxpayer organization Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite, said her group did not know about the improper driver's education fee increases but that it was another case of financial mismanagement by the district.
LWATU is currently in a legal battle with Lincoln-Way officials over the closure of North high school. The group has been critical of financial practices in the district.
“We are so much better than this. … I don’t understand how something like this could happen,” Sands said.
Gareiss said she wanted more accountability from Lincoln-Way and the lack of an explanation from district officials only creates more suspicion.
“It’s enraging, it really is,” she said.