School District U-46 is looking at a reduction in textbook costs for students who are taking classes in which they earn both high school and college credit.
Officials this week introduced a $1.1 million proposal that would pay a $425-per-semester textbook stipend to families of students enrolled in the full-time Accelerate College program at Elgin Community College.
It also calls for the district to purchase the textbooks used by students enrolled in dual-credit classes being offered in the high schools this fall.
“We’re here because we want to provide access for our students and to remove barriers,” U-46 Post-Secondary Success Director Michele Chapman told school board members Monday night. “In order to do that, we need your help.”
The school board will vote on the measure next month. If approved, both initiatives would go into effect next school year and run through the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Broken down, the digital and print textbook stipend for parents would cost the district $340,000 — about $85,000 annually through 2024, Chapman said. The remaining $760,275 requested would cover the cost of online license fees and textbooks used in high school dual-credit classes, she said.
The proposal would cost U-46 an average of $265 per student in the first year, but the average cost will drop over the next few years, officials said.
Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, nine dual-credit courses will be available to students in the high school, including courses in math, English and Spanish. The cap on the number of students who can take the classes is 1,500.
“We’re in the process of figuring out (teacher) staffing,” Chapman said. “Those teachers that have been approved will have professional development with ECC (later this year).”
To be considered, teachers must have a master’s degree or graduate credit in the content area they’d be teaching and will undergo a review process conducted by ECC, she said.
This year there are 47 high school seniors currently enrolled at ECC to earn both high school and college credit. Next year, enrollment will increase to 100 as high school juniors participate for the first time.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
