When Kathleen Vandervort writes the check each year to enroll her two children at Wallace Elementary School, she doesn't look at it as an expense. She sees it as an investment.

"It's a small price to pay for an excellent education," she said. "One thing we shouldn't mind paying for is education. We're willing to pay for other junk. We should be willing to pay for education."

"But next year, I'll have three (children) in school," she jokes. "Talk to me then."

Illinois relies primarily on local property taxes to offer a "free and appropriate" education to children, as mandated in the state constitution. But by law, schools are also allowed to charge fees for textbook rental, extracurricular activities or lab costs as long as they do not charge tuition.

School fees locally cover a broad range, from $40 to $100 for elementary school students and from $60 to $180 -- and potentially even higher when lab fees are added in -- for high school students.

And that's before all of the non-required items -- sports, extra-curricular activities, parking fees and yearbook -- are added. Participation fees range from $15 to as high as $200 per activity. Add another $30 for yearbook or $25 for a parking fee and the bottom line can quickly become overwhelming.

Some schools will offer a break for families with more than one child in school, but the majority do not. In all districts, low-income students are eligible for a waiver to reduce or eliminate some fees, based on the federal free and reduced lunch program's annual household income chart.

The number of students who qualify for waivers varies from district to district and not all students eligible for the waivers will apply.

Fee waivers can also be granted at the discretion of the school administration under specific situations, such as sudden loss of income or a family emergency. But the waiver is not all-inclusive, with some costs still required for optional courses and materials, non-academic activities or drivers education.

For families who do not qualify for a fee waiver but still have a financial hardship, most school districts will arrange payment plans.

As a parent, Angie Turney can understand how tough it is to shell out hundreds of dollars in fees at the beginning of the school year to enroll her children.

But as a member of the Sandwich School District Board of Education, she also understands that every little bit helps in funding education -- though she has begun to question how much is too much when it comes to fees.

This year, she voted against fee increases meant to keep up with rising textbook and technology costs because the district had raised fees the year before.

"It's not just for me (that I voted no), it's for the community. Times are tough," she said.

"I'm not against adjusting the fees every couple of years," she added. " ... But we need to do something to get a handle on fees so they're not going even higher."

Last year, Somonauk High School did away with the a la carte approach favored by some high schools -- charging a base fee, then adding more charges for specific classes such as lab sciences or art. Instead, all students are charged $180 regardless of what classes are added to the schedule. The only exception is driver's education, which is an additional $50.

Turney said Sandwich has considered adopting something similar, though she said more research would need to be done to make sure families weren't paying too much.

Schools are also adding more fees to cover expenses for necessities, such as paper and fuel. These costs continue to climb.

Waltham Elementary adds a $12 paper fee for grades 1 and 2, while Wallace Elementary adds a $6 fee for field trips tacked on at the beginning of the school year. La Salle-Peru Township High School charges students eligible to ride the bus, who choose to ride the bus, a $30 fee per semester.

While the Fieldcrest School District has kept its registration fees on par with other districts, its participation fees have climbed at a much higher rate to keep up with expenses related to extracurricular activities.

The participation fee for grades 7 to 12 for any school activity is $100 for scholastic bowl and $200 for every other activity, with a maximum of $400 per student.

Dawn Johnson, a resident of the district, started a petition against the fees online at www.gopetition.com. The petition refers to the fees as "unfair, immoral and a form of discrimination" and says, "Our school system has now stepped in and decided for us if our children are able to to attend a better college or be able to have a fair start in life."

According to Superintendent Randall S. Vincent, the board has promised to reduce those fees by at least 50 percent if an education tax rate referendum passes in November because, according to a district survey, school fees are a primary concern for those in the community..

"I don't think the fees will ever go away but we can bring them down to the level of other communities in our area," he said. " ... If the referendum passes, the board will definitely cut (participation) fees by 50 percent, but they may do more. If we are in better shape, I'm sure they will consider it (cutting fees further)."